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3232Netflix Reveals Most Popular Episodes, Shatner Trolls, Alexa Sings And More #StarTrekDay Funhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/09/08/netflix-reveals-most-popular-episodes-shatner-trolls-alexa-sings-and-more-star-trek-day-fun/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/08/netflix-reveals-most-popular-episodes-shatner-trolls-alexa-sings-and-more-star-trek-day-fun/#commentsFri, 08 Sep 2017 23:20:34 +0000http://trekmovie.com/?p=50668Though it is not landing with the weight that it did for the 50th last year, today’s 51st anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek is creating plenty of buzz. Star Trek Day is a day to celebrate — both on the Internet and in our hearts. We have gathered some of the more interesting and fun bits of Star Trek Day celebrations from Netflix Trek data, Shatner showing Star Wars fans who is boss, Amazon Alexa teaching Klingon, the Discovery cast answering Trek trivia, and more. Make sure you scroll to the bottom for a great new fan-made supercut celebrating the 51st.

Netflix drops a bomb – or more accurately an Omega particle

Internet juggernaut Netflix’s secret weapon isn’t its original content or its massive subscriber base, it’s viewer behavior. They know everything everyone has ever watched, including how people watch the entire library of Star Trek TV episodes. Understandably, they hold this kind of incomparable competitive advantage as close as the Tal Shiar does its secrets — but not today. Netflix spilled the beans on which Star Trek episodes are the most popular.

From their press release, which boasts more eyeroll-inducing Star Trek cliches than you could swing an Ahn-woon at, Netflix reveals:

First episodes of a series will usually be the most watched.

Episodes that introduce iconic races or characters tend to be re-visited most.

The most popular themes are time travel, alien abductions and crossover episodes.

TNG and TOS have bigger audiences, but VOY and DS9 have more loyal repeat customers.

A nice “call to action” at the end to remind everyone that on Sept. 25, Netflix will exclusively(!) premiere Discovery in 188 countries.

So omitting the first two episodes from any show, they determined the following most popular episodes that get rewatched, where “rewatch” means a member returns to watch at least 6 minutes of an episode they had previously completed.

That would be Voyager with six episodes and TNG with four — the other three series are shut out colder than an Andorian Christmas. Note that EIGHT of the ten episodes feature the Borg — so the danger that the Borg will appear in Discovery for no logical reason have probably just gone up by 79% percent.

Shatner throws some punches at a galaxy far, far away

Like many, William Shatner has taken to Twitter to show some love for Star Trek, with this simple, tasteful anniversary message.

But, Bill wasn’t done. Having apparently not heard the advice to not pick fights with people who are bigger than him, Shatner then posted the same “Happy Anniversary!” message on the Star Wars subreddit. And he still wasn’t done. After the Guinness Book posted a link about how Star Trek was the most successful TV franchise, Shatner reposted the link to @starwars.

Alexa sings Trek and teaches Klingon

Amazon decided to have some fun on Star Trek Day with their Alexa home assistant giving fans a special Star Trek wake-up song. TrekMovie’s Christine Rideout (aka Starfleetmom) made a fun recording of her Amazon Echo singing the Star Trek theme and teaching some Klingon.

Hard to say who won that trivia, but probably not James Frain — Klingville? Seriously? And there was some impressive Trek awareness by Mary Wise and Anthony Rapp.

The world celebrates Star Trek Day

#StarTrekDay was a trending hashtag on Twitter today with many fans celebrating their love for the franchise which took them to strange new worlds. We have gathered some tweets from a few prominent people and institutions showing their love.

The ultimate Star Trek supercut

Danish Star Trek fan Johan Albrechtsen of Moovy.dk sent in a link to his brand new supercut tribute to Star Trek, made to celebrate the 51st anniversary. This great new video spans the entire franchise on film and TV, including Star Trek: Discovery.

How do you celebrate Star Trek Day?

What were your favorite moments from Star Trek Day? Are you celebrating with a cellular peptide cake? Does it have mint frosting? Let us know in the comment section below, or tweet us @TrekMovie.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/08/netflix-reveals-most-popular-episodes-shatner-trolls-alexa-sings-and-more-star-trek-day-fun/feed/75Revealed: Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi Auditioned For Sisko In ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/07/revealed-doctor-whos-peter-capaldi-auditioned-for-sisko-in-star-trek-deep-space-nine/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/07/revealed-doctor-whos-peter-capaldi-auditioned-for-sisko-in-star-trek-deep-space-nine/#commentsThu, 07 Sep 2017 22:19:39 +0000http://trekmovie.com/?p=50644The anonymous team behind the Twitter Account @trekdocs regularly reveals documents from Star Trek’s long history (see TrekMovie interview from earlier this year on more about them). Today they posted notes from a 1992 UK casting session for main characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The list includes Alexendar Siddig (under his real name Siddig El Fadil) who landed the job as Dr. Julian Bashir (called Amoros at the time). But what grabs even more attention are some of the names who auditioned for Benjamin Sisko, the starring role which eventually went to Avery Brooks.

The UK actors who auditioned for Sisko include Anthony Head (Rupert Giles of Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Peter Capaldi, who plays the soon to be departing Twelfth Doctor on the BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who. This documents tweet was followed up quickly by the Twitter account of for the What We Left Behind DS9 documentary, which showed screen caps of the auditions of Capaldi and Head.

Was The Doctor almost The Sisko? – probably not

Capaldi, while best known for his more recent roles in Doctor Who and The Thick of It, has a career going back to the 80s and would likely have been able to deliver an interesting performance as Benjamin Sisko. The same is true of many of the actors listed on the UK call sheet. But how serious was Paramount with these auditions? Were they really going to hire another white British actor to lead a series which would run concurrently with Star Trek: The Next Generation, starring Patrick Stewart?

In my recent interview with Deep Space Nine executive producer and showrunner Ira Steven Behr I asked about the casting of Sisko. Here is the exchange.

TrekMovie.com: When the show was cast, was Sisko always going to be an African-American, or did you guys just like Avery?

Ira Steven Behr: When [co-creator] Michal Piller started his insidious plan to bring me back into the fold – so sitting together at baseball games, when he mentioned it to me, he mentioned to me as an African-American captain. Some people say that is too specific and that it was definitely going to be a brown person, definitely not a Caucasian. They hadn’t necessarily locked in to that person being African-American.

I actually have some of the auditions and some were sent in from England from some very good British actors. So they were covering on all fronts, but I think that was all just due diligence. It was always going to be a brown captain.

It may be that this interview and Ira’s mention of auditions sent in from England inspired the @TrekDocs team to dig up this sheet and post it online. And it appears that even though there were many strong British actors auditioning for the part, DS9 creators Rick Berman and Michael Piller were just doing “due diligence” and were determined to cast a non-white actor.

UPDATE: Just a coincidence

Turns out the recent TrekMovie interview talking about Sisko auditions from the UK and this document reveal was just one of those coincidences.

Total coincidence we posted so close to Ira interview. Great quote though – when casting lead you go all out even if already have a plan.

DS9 doc looking into including audition clips

Hopefully we will be able to see more of these auditions in the What We Left Behind documentary or maybe in some bonus features. Documentary co-producerKai de Mello-Folsom tells TrekMovie that they “are still early in the approvals and licensing process to see if we will include segments from these auditions in the film, and if they will serve our story at large, but our team has had a great time watching these alternate takes from other great performers and hope we’ll be able to share at least a selection with the DS9 fanbase.”

He was also able to share an additional image of Capaldi’s audition which comes are courtesy of a VHS tape from Ira Steven Behr’s personal collection which was recently uncovered through the project.

Another shot from Capaldi’s DS9 audition

That What We Left Behind doc should arrive by this time next year. For more infomraiton visit ds9documentary.com.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/07/revealed-doctor-whos-peter-capaldi-auditioned-for-sisko-in-star-trek-deep-space-nine/feed/18Interview: William Shatner On Why ‘Star Trek II’ Worked, If He Would Appear In ‘Discovery,’ And Morehttps://trekmovie.com/2017/09/06/interview-william-shatner-on-why-star-trek-ii-worked-if-he-would-appear-in-discovery-and-more/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/06/interview-william-shatner-on-why-star-trek-ii-worked-if-he-would-appear-in-discovery-and-more/#commentsWed, 06 Sep 2017 20:06:16 +0000http://trekmovie.com/?p=50579On September 10th and 13th Fathom Events is holding 35th anniversary screenings of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Director’s Cut in theaters across the USA. TrekMovie took the opportunity to chat with the star of the film, William Shatner, who will be seen in a new introduction interview at these screenings. We talk about the first two Star Trek films, his thoughts on Discovery, the opportunities available with VR and more.

From Star Trek: The Motion Picture To Wrath of Khan

Let’s start with Star Trek II, which is returning to the big screen this weekend with a new intro interview with you.

Yes. I am coming to a town near you. I am going to play 600 theaters for Fathom on September 10th and 13th.

Many feel this second film you all made was the best of the series, do you agree with that assessment?

I do. It is either the best or the second best. I thought Star Trek V was the best of them all.

I should have said with the exception of your Star Trek V, of course.

I learned a lot on Star Trek V! But, yes [Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan] is a wonderful film and it is a perfect example of what a good story can do. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture didn’t hit as brilliantly as they thought it might and they were not going to make any other movies, the head of Paramount [Barry Diller] said “Let’s make them for a cheaper price.” And he hired a television producer – Harve Bennett – to do it on essentially a television budget, which meant more emphasis on the story and less on expensive effects. And if the opinion is this is amongst the best of the Star Treks, I wholly concur.

What was your expectation for that first Star Trek film, what was your mood going into it?

Excited. Here was an opportunity that was really unique. A television show was going to make first run movies. I don’t think it had been done before. And getting Robert Wise – the great editor and director of these large films – was a huge coup. So, everybody thought it was going to be terrific. And when it wasn’t everyone thought that is the end of that.

So how was the mood different going into the second one, such as how did you feel about Gene Roddenberry no longer being in charge?

I don’t remember the sequence of my feelings, but Gene Roddenberry had very strongly held opinions about what to do and how to do it. And the fact in the first season of Star Trek he was no longer the line producer, but became the executive producer and other producers were brought in by the studio. What it meant was they were going for efficiency, both in the storytelling and in the filming. And that was the way it went for three years. Gene had essentially left Star Trek by the second year, certainly the third.

So this script that was hammered out for the first Star Trek movie was written by good people and had all kinds of credits belonging to it. There was a disappointment in that it took so long and there were so many delays in getting it made. They used to talk about the film being “wet,” it literally was. It was taken out of the lab and flown to Washington in a can and Robert Wise never had a chance to properly edit his film and especially the special effects, which had no editing at all.

William Shatner with director Robert Wise, producer Gene Roddenberry, DeForest Kelley, and Leonard Nimoy on the set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Working with Nicholas Meyer

Wrath of Khan brought in a young and less experienced director – Nicholas Meyer. I just spoke to him last week including talking about directing you. Specifically, he talks about technique that he was always trying to get a – in his words – “smaller” performance so he would do many takes with you until he got the performance that he wanted. At the time, did you catch on to trick of his?

I think that has crept in, in the intervening years. [laughs] It has become a lovely story. Why wouldn’t he say, “Play it smaller?” or “Do less,” or whatever language the director needs for the actor.

What was your opinion of Meyer – this young director at the time – coming in for the second film?

Very good. I thought he was a fine writer and a director with a flair. He was neat. I don’t recall having a “large” performance and him doing take after take. That is not my recollection, but if he thinks so, so be it. I am glad he fashioned my performance to his liking.

William Shatner with Nicholas Meyer on the set of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Returning to Star Trek in Discovery or VR?

Switching to more current news, have you been keeping up with information and previews of the new show, Star Trek: Discovery?

No, not at all. I am so bereft of information. I have no idea of what is going on. Anybody who has any knowledge I find informative, because I know nothing.

All I know is that it is streaming. I have been playing in front of some large audiences recently and asking them what they thought and will they pay money for it and about half the audience doesn’t want to pay each month to get it. It looks like what they are doing is making it a beacon for joining [CBS All Access]. So, in the same way Paramount used [Star Trek:] The Next Generation to promote their syndication organization, they are doing the same thing with the streaming of Star Trek, which is an interesting ploy.

Didn’t Paramount also want to try that with the show that was in development before Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You were working on that Phase II show for about a year for what was going to be a Paramount TV Network but then they scrapped the network idea.

They were making all kinds of sounds about TV movies, TV series, it was everything but a movie.

Obviously whenever there is a new Star Trek project the same question arises, specifically about you. It happened with Enterprise and of course with the J.J. Abrams movies. If they reached out, would you be interested in any participation with Discovery?

Well it would depend on what the participation was. I wouldn’t want to do something that was a throwaway sort of gratuitous place in the plotline. They would really have to exercise their imaginations to have a fifty years older captain in there – if it was the character. They would have to do something remarkable.

Since this takes place ten years before your 1960s Star Trek show, your character is actually younger.

So, then I got to play my father.

In Las Vegas last month you said something that got our notice, which was there was going to be an announcement about a VR project and this was maybe the answer to how you could be in Star Trek again. Can you elaborate on that?

I am part of a company called Ziva, a virtual reality company. We have all kinds of ambitious plans using virtual reality. In talking to the engineers and experts, they say “We can do anything. We can make you older or younger.” So that is the answer to the question “What happened in the intervening fifty years?”

Shatner says it would take some “remarkable” imagining to get him into Discovery

The next documentary

You have directed and hosted a number of Star Trek-related documentaries in recent years, with the latest being The Truth is in the Stars now on Netflix. Do you have any more of these documentaries planned?

I have found directing documentaries really entertaining and informative for me, so I follow a question and try and make points of it. My entré seems to be science fiction or space, so I am actively attempting to sell documentaries pertaining to that. I have three projects that I am actively pursuing. None are Star Trek per se, but science-fiction and science. Such as the guy who began JPL is a fascinating character and I want to do a documentary on his life. There are a lot of young, talented people at NASA, and I want to do a documentary on them. And the list goes on.

William Shatner with Professor Stephen Hawking in The Truth is in the Stars

We were asked by Carusele to promote The Wrath of Khan 35th Anniversary screenings, sponsored by Fathom Events. Although we have been compensated, all opinions are our own.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/09/06/interview-william-shatner-on-why-star-trek-ii-worked-if-he-would-appear-in-discovery-and-more/feed/23George R.R. Martin Tells Why He Was Rejected As Writer For ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’https://trekmovie.com/2017/08/23/george-r-r-martin-tells-why-he-was-rejected-as-writer-for-star-trek-the-next-generation/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/08/23/george-r-r-martin-tells-why-he-was-rejected-as-writer-for-star-trek-the-next-generation/#commentsThu, 24 Aug 2017 06:25:49 +0000http://trekmovie.com/?p=50336In the mid 1980s George R.R. Martin was still a decade away from writing A Game of Thrones, the first novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series that spawned the hit HBO series, but he was already a well regarded science fiction writer with multiple Hugo Awards. He also had some experience writing for television, so when Paramount decided to bring Star Trek back to TV, he went in for an interview to talk about joining the staff. Apparently, it didn’t go well.

Speaking at at a workshop at UCSD’s Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination in May, the prolific writer got onto the subject of how there has long been a stigma against science fiction. To illustrate this, he told the following story about being rejected by Star Trek: The Next Generation:

I had an interview with Star Trek: The Next Generation for a possible job as a staff writer. I remember coming in to the office of this producer – who thankfully did not last long on the show and you can see why when I tell the story. He said “I don’t know who you are can you tell me your credentials.” And I said “I am just coming off Twilight Zone where I worked for a while, but before that I wrote novels and short stories. I am primarily a science fiction writer.” And he said “Oh really, well Star Trek is not a science-fiction show, it is a people show.” I was fooled by the photon torpedoes and starships. I was misled. Needless to say I did not get that job.

While he did not specify the name of the producer, it is a good bet that it was Maurice Hurley, who was the showrunner for much of the first and second seasons of TNG. Hurley, who had no experience with science fiction before Star Trek, had a reputation for not getting along with a number of writers on the show and left at the end of the second season.

You can watch Martin talk about TNG below in the video posted by UCSD.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/08/23/george-r-r-martin-tells-why-he-was-rejected-as-writer-for-star-trek-the-next-generation/feed/39Forgotten Roddenberry: Pretty Maids All In A Rowhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/07/12/forgotten-roddenberry-pretty-maids-all-in-a-row/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/07/12/forgotten-roddenberry-pretty-maids-all-in-a-row/#commentsWed, 12 Jul 2017 15:00:47 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=48740Welcome back to our series on Gene Roddenberry’s work between Star Trek incarnations. Last time we looked at the gender bending antics of Planet Earth. In this entry we try very hard to look away from the train wreck that is Pretty Maids All in a Row.

Sometimes we leave the best for last. Sometimes we avoid things because we just don’t want to deal with them until we have to. This review of the 1971 feature film Pretty Maids All in a Row, which is actually the first production Gene Roddenberry was involved with after Star Trek’s cancellation, is more of the latter. But, there is a point to saving Pretty Maids for last beyond mere procrastination. After all, this is the film that most influenced all of Gene’s work going forward. That’s a big leap, I know. And it’s one you, the reader, would never have even considered if we hadn’t looked at all his other forgotten works first.

Pretty Maids All in a Row is, at its heart, a “sex comedy”, though I find it does neither of those descriptors justice. Because of its strong sexual nature it is nearly impossible to talk about in-depth without being somewhat graphic. Therefore, the more pearl-clutching amongst you might want to turn back. You’ve been warned.

The story of Pretty Maid’s production is filled with Star Trek participants from both in front of and behind the camera. Herb Solow, an executive at Desilu who helped produce Star Trek’s first two seasons, had just started a short tenure as a Vice President at MGM. At the studio’s behest, Herb was looking for an edgy, X-rated story that could win as many Oscars as Midnight Cowboy. How he thought Pretty Maids was their best shot is a complete mystery to me. After passing on the first script adaptation, Herb needed someone to get this smut on screen. Having witnessed Roddenberry’s lecherous and lascivious personal behavior first hand, Solow probably thought Gene was the best man to adapt a story about a teacher who seduces and murders his female students.

I started my preparation for this review not by rewatching the film, but by searching for and procuring a copy of the 1968 Francis Pollini book it’s based on. This was not easy. The book has been out of print for ages and no used bookstore in my area had a copy. Neither the book nor Pollini even have a Wikipedia entry. What’s worse, when shopkeepers looked up the title and saw its creeptastic cover containing an older man gently lifting the shirt of a clearly underage girl I had to explain exactly why I’d want such a thing. “You know Gene Roddenberry? Yeah, the Star Trek guy. He wrote and produced the film version of this. I know, gross.”

The book starts out with Ponce, a sexually frustrated high school student, rushing into the bathroom to relieve his lustful urges after ogling his teacher during class. This is when he stumbles upon a dead girl, face down in the toilet with her bare tokhes sticking up in the air. Pollini then spends a full four and a half densely-worded pages describing how nubile the corpse still is and how conflicted Ponce feels over whether or not he should sexually molest it. At this point I yawned so hard my eyes rolled too far back into my skull to continue reading the book, and I haven’t picked it up again for more than a referential skim since.

The film itself starts off similarly, but with the opening credit sequence following Ponce on his scooter as he rides to school. Once he gets to the bathroom and finds the prone body he does momentarily reach for her rear, but as soon as it’s obvious she’s dead he at least makes a run for help. The sexualization of female-focused violence is pretty common in today’s media, whether it’s “edgy” cable TV shows, horror films, or video games, but even by 1971 it had become more banal than shocking. Roger Ebert, who panned Pretty Maids in his review of it, had only one year earlier written the film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, in which a woman fellates a gun before it blows her head off. Dirty Harry, which came out the same year as Pretty Maids, features a nude woman’s long dead body being pulled slowly out of a hole in the ground. She isn’t blue or rotting or stiff, but rather as pink and supple as a living thing. Even the 1968 sci-fi soft porn film Barbarella, written by Pretty Maids’ director, Roger Vadim, features Jane Fonda getting bitten and pecked bloody while wearing barely-there space suits. My stars! An uptick in sexual violence against women in film at the height of second-wave feminism? What could that possibly mean?

There’s no point in writing a complete synopsis of this film as I’ve done in my other reviews because nothing really happens in it. It’s a pretty dull detective procedural intermixed with classic high school film antics and bizarre sexual hijinks that only people too young to be admitted into the theater would find funny. The film’s themes are better addressed through its characters than its narrative, so I’ve taken that approach instead.

High school counselor and teacher Mike “Tiger” McDrew, played by multiple Golden Globe Award winner Rock Hudson, is the alpha and the omega character of the film. You can’t talk about other characters without addressing him first, but you can’t fully understand him without discussing the many people he’s caught in his intricate web. Simply put, McDrew is a middle-aged sex fiend who beds the most nubile of his female students during office hours and then kills them when they threaten to reveal the affair. Pretty Maids is billed as a “murder mystery,” but it’s clear ten minutes in that it’s McDrew who’s doing the killing.

If anything positive can be said about McDrew, it’s that he’s a unique take on the serial killer character. He’s a sort of sexually charged, silverback gorilla of a man who proves his virility with feats of strength and organic smoothies all while wearing a mustache that would soon be synonymous with porn. He exudes a kind of old-fashioned, John Wayne-style manliness, but preaches new age ideas about a liberal future lead by wise and promiscuous young people. His students love him. They “reach,” as the space hippies in “The Way to Eden” would say. But McDrew is no Doc Sevrin. Sevrin was an obvious madman. McDrew never really says anything an enlightened audience could disagree with. Of course the children are our future. Of course everyone should be free to follow their passions without shame, sexual or otherwise.

It’s also interesting to point out that McDrew is the coach of his school’s football team. It’s almost prescient how the faculty and community ignore and deny his barely concealed philandering and obvious guilt because he’s led the school through so many victories. At one point, the local sheriff catches McDrew schtupping one of his students in a parking lot and would rather discuss players and scores than address the naked, underage girl in his car. Jerry Sandusky couldn’t find a better analogue.

McDrew’s protégé is the aforementioned horn-dog, Ponce de Leon Harper, who found the first of McDrew’s victims rump-up in the lavatory. Ponce is an awkward, virginal “nice guy” who doesn’t understand why all the “jerks” have regular coitus while he continually strikes out. The film is seen mostly through his gaze, which is exceedingly male. As with most boys, Ponce has never been taught that women are fully formed human beings, so we mostly see the world as a long parade of cleavage and upskirts that can never be embraced and furiously dry-humped.

Ponce’s main object of desire is his braless, miniskirted teacher, Ms. Betty Smith, played by Saturn, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Angie Dickinson. Like Ponce, her life is confusingly sexless. Any attempt at using her feminine wiles on the appropriately aged McDrew are met with well-practiced aloofness because he’s a walking pedobear prototype and she’s the embodiment of the “too old” meme. Knowing how hard up the two of them are and having no sense of right or wrong, McDrew convinces Ms. Smith to sexually mentor Ponce during some after-hours tutoring at her place. After several “accidental” intimate collisions, she applauds the boy’s erection as if he were a baby taking its first steps. Eventually the two give in to each other during a sponge bath necessitated by a horrible chocolate duck mishap.

Before he was Kojak, but after he was Charles Sievers, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated Telly Savalas was Pretty Maids’ intrepid detective, Sam Surcher. Savalas is wry and delightful, but utterly wasted in this role that amounts to nothing more than killing time. Along with his deputies, played by James “Scotty” Doohan and William “Koloth” Campbell, Surcher just sort of muddles about as a straight man set up against the insanity of a high school more interested in the football score than the amount of bodies piling up. Doohan and Campbell fare even worse than Savalas, having almost no lines. Campbell, at least, has a mildly humorous scene where he carries the librarian through the corridors of the school to see how long it would have taken the killer to get the body into the bathroom. What this test gets them is beyond me since they don’t know where the girl was murdered in the first place.

McDrew’s lovers/victims are the titular Pretty Maids, and they have very little to do as well except be naked and die. I will repeat again that this is a sex comedy, meaning the intention of the nudity is to titillate the audience. The film itself was dubiously marketed as having more skin in it than any mainstream production up to that point and its starlets promoted it with their own Playboy spreads. I’d also like to remind you that these girls are supposed to be between the ages of 15 and 17 years old. Pretty Maids relies on the bizarre trope that underage girls are somehow more sexually advanced than their male counterparts and, therefore, ripe for the picking. While Ponce is the epitome of a lanky, spotted youth, the Maids are graceful, well-groomed super models sporting barely-there outfits designed by Star Trek’s own William Ware Theiss.

Surcher’s biggest scenes are spent interrogating the Maids, who are a Roddenberry rainbow of ethnicities. The scantily clad children have some interesting ideas to share with the world-worn detective. One brazenly states, “If a boy didn’t make sexual advances toward me, I think that would be pretty unnatural.” This is presented as some kind of enlightened truth when it’s really just learned helplessness. As the only one who even remotely suspects McDrew as the killer, Surcher feels like he’s supposed be an intellectual foil for the wayward coach’s laissez-faire philosophy, but he just never gets there. Instead he listens and raises an eyebrow and moves on to the next crazy situation. Rinse. Repeat.

Even after McDrew’s apparent suicide, when Surcher spots Lady McDrew holding plane tickets to Brazil, he doesn’t make a move to stop her or head her off at the airport. We know McDrew’s on the run and Surcher is wise to him, but nothing comes of it. Makes you wonder who’s supposed to be the hero here. Chalk it up to “boys will be boys.”

I’ve talked about Roddenberry writing himself into his scripts before. Wesley Crusher is a confirmed example and Spectre’sAmos Hamilton is a pretty safe bet. I think Tiger McDrew is another. While not his own, original character, McDrew is very similar to Roddenberry as far as his sexual proclivities go. According to Herb Solow’s “Inside Star Trek,” Gene often bragged about “late night casting meetings” with various actresses. In the same book, Penny Unger, Gene’s secretary during The Original Series, reports making out with him once. Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett were both cast in Gene’s 1963 show, The Lieutenant, before beginning long-term, concurrent affairs with him. As we know, Barrett later married Gene in 1969. Susan Sackett, Gene’s assistant from 1974 until his death in 1991, claims to have carried on an affair with him after being aggressively pursued. Basically, every alleged intimate relationship that Gene Roddenberry had after becoming a television producer was with an underling.

Obviously Gene did not fool around with anyone under consenting age, but the power imbalance between an actress and a producer or a secretary and an employer is eerily similar to that of a student and a teacher. In every one of those cases authority has a problematic influence on the relationship’s outcome.

Roddenberry’s kinship with the McDrew character becomes even more apparent in the scenes where Tiger gives his students utopian lectures of the kind that would sound familiar to anyone who’s heard Gene give an interview. I mentioned at the beginning of this review that Pretty Maids is a major turning point and influence on Gene’s work. It’s the moment when he realizes he can write his zany, lopsided ideas on free love right into his scripts and someone will actually pay him for it.

The original Star Trek was a sexy show, no doubt. While there was way more female skin, revealing male outfits were not lacking. Kirk himself spent half the first season with his shirt off for one reason or another. But that act of sex itself was either unattainable due to professional commitments, or used as a bargaining chip to convince enemies to lower their guard. No one was defined by their sexuality, nor did they celebrate it. There’s lots of screwing going on, but no one really enjoys it.

Comedy was also a no-no on The Original Series, the first season of which is remarkably grim. Some specifically comedic episodes show up in the second season, including “The Trouble With Tribbles” and “A Piece of the Action.” This kind of hilarity, as well as the inappropriate bridge jokes that would often end episodes that year, were the work of line producer Gene Coon. This brought him to blows with Roddenberry who wanted the series played straight. Though he still contributed storylines well into the third season, Coon was dropped from his production duties because of this rift.

These attitudes toward sex and comedy change after Pretty Maids. Gene’s first original television production after Star Trek, Genesis II, features a society called Tyrania whose main selling point is its sensual liberties. This includes a device called a “stim” that can induce extreme pleasure. If it hadn’t been for the slavery, hero Dylan Hunt would have preferred living in Tyrania with it’s twin belly-buttoned seductresses instead of with his sensually subdued PAX saviors. Even the method of the Hunt’s rebirth is sexual in nature. Years later, in Gene’s horror mystery Spectre, we witness another evil sect reveling in orgies, its leader vocally unashamed of bucking his family’s prudish mores. Spectre, Planet Earth, and The Questor Tapes (the last co-written by Gene Coon of all people) may not be terribly funny or sexy, but they try pretty hard to be both.

The Motion Picture is Gene’s first attempt at inserting his sexual politics into Star Trek with the alien race known as the Deltans. Initially created for the scrapped television sequel, Star Trek II, the Deltans were described in the writer’s guide as having sex during every social interaction, sort of like bonobos. So strong was their drive and so great was their skill that Deltans had to take an oath of celibacy before serving on a Starfleet vessel. When Star Trek: The Next Generation was conceived, Betazoids replaced Deltans as the sultry Greek letter aliens du jour. Possessing almost all of the same social characteristics and abilities of Deltans, Betazoids upped the ante by requiring nudity at important social events, such as weddings. Their women were also supposed to have four breasts each, but Dorothy Fontana put the kibosh on that one. Both races would continually roll their eyes at humanity’s perceived sexual immaturity.

The novelization of The Motion Picture, written by the Great Bird himself, gets even more raunchy with Gene actually addressing (and refuting) Kirk/Spock slash fiction. At the same time he makes their relationship so intense that it seems weird that they’re not having sex (look up “T’hy’la” some time). There are regular status reports on the state of Kirk’s genitals, with the good captain getting a chubby in a meeting with his ex-wife and upon seeing his new Deltan navigator for the first time. Spock describes the Enterprise as having private rooms where he overhears couples boinking. Decker actually bones the Ilia-probe with V’Ger listening in. And, of course, there’s so much more discussion of Deltan promiscuity. And what the heck was Kirk’s mom doing with a “love instructor”? That one is mentioned on page one!

Sex comedy elements invaded many of Next Generation’s first season episodes. “The Naked Now” replaced the personality-specific drunkeness of its Original Series inspiration with blanketed ship-wide horniness. In “Justice” the planet Rubicun III is infested with bushy blonde people who literally run around in white fetish gear and greet everyone with lingering hugs. Do I even need to mention Wesley’s dick joke? Riker, who was supposed to be as much Jim Kirk as Will Decker, is far more outwardly sensual than either of his inspirations. He spends his time watching holograms of comely young women playing elevator music and openly offers to share his computer-generated love doll with Picard in “11001001.” This not only acknowledges that the holodeck is used for nookie, but that everyone’s okay with it. In “Code of Honor,” “Haven,” and “Angel One,” crew members express their attraction toward guest stars without shame or reservation. This is not your grandpa’s Star Trek, but it’s definitely Gene’s.

For a project Gene was accidentally thrown into, Pretty Maids All in a Row sure did have a lasting impact on his work. It’s hard to tell whether the experience unleashed his already established beliefs on sexuality or made him invent new ones to help legitimize his womanizing lifestyle. After all, people were already lauding his thoughts on technology, race relations, and pacifism. Why wouldn’t they want his thoughts on sex, too? No matter which way it happened, it certainly turned Star Trek into a world filled with randy aliens, even randier crew members, and “love instructors.” Tiger McDrew would definitely approve of that last one.

Random Facts:

This is the only post-Star Trek Roddenberry production to not have Majel Barrett in it somewhere as an extra.

Gene did, however, get his daughter, Dawn, cast as “Girl #1.” She also appeared as an Onlie in The Original Series episode, “Miri.” I reached out to Roddenberry family members hoping they could identify her, but never heard back. Since only speaking parts get credited, I’m assuming she’s the blonde student at the 3:30 mark who says, “Dig that figure” in reference to Angie Dickinson’s jiggling caboose.

In the vein of Roddenberry’s socially conscious messaging, one legitimately funny, and sadly still relevant, scene in the film that’s definitely not in the book features the town sheriff grabbing a random black student and accusing him of being the murderer before even looking at the scene or talking to witnesses.

Golden Globe and Emmy award-nominated and Saturn-winning Roddy McDowell plays the constantly flustered school principal, as if there wasn’t too much wasted talent in this film already.

The opening theme song, “Chilly Winds,” was performed by the Osmonds. Kind of splatters a big ball of mud all over their squeaky-clean image.

John David Carson, who played Ponce, cut his sci-fi teeth as the voice of Hanna Barbera’s “Dino Boy.” He later starred with Joan “Edith Keeler” Collins in a C-grade adaptation of H.G. Wells’Empire of the Ants.

The film’s hippie-dippie title font is like Gene’s daughter: unidentifiable, despite my best efforts. It may have been made just for the movie.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/07/12/forgotten-roddenberry-pretty-maids-all-in-a-row/feed/72Watch Nicholas Meyer Explain How Bill Shatner Literally Scared The Pee Out Of Himhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/06/14/watch-nicholas-meyer-explain-how-bill-shatner-literally-scared-the-pee-out-of-him/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/06/14/watch-nicholas-meyer-explain-how-bill-shatner-literally-scared-the-pee-out-of-him/#commentsWed, 14 Jun 2017 22:39:40 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=48319Last night at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA there was a screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary. Director Nicholas Meyer was on hand for a Q&A before the showing and he was joined by Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Ike Eisenmann (Peter Preston), and Alan Howarth (sound effects technician).

The discussion focused on Meyer’s work on Star Trek II and other Trek films in the 80s so there was no updates on Star Trek: Discovery or his other mysterious Star Trek project (exclusively revealed at TrekMovie). But the discussion did have some interesting moments (some of which have been covered previously in various behind the scenes books including Meyer’s own A View from the Bridge, but are still worth sharing).

When Meyer was asked to recall a story about working with producer Harve Bennett he described how when he was working on Star Trek II (his first major movie as a director) Bennett helped him learn how to relax and deal with the demands of a star, in this case William Shatner.

Nicholas Meyer: When I was up at ILM having these meetings and they called and said it was Harve and he said “Bill Shatner hates the script” and I was “my script?” and he said “yeah, that’s the script we are talking about, we will talk about it when you get back.” And I went back to this meeting thinking there is no movie. Then I got back and Bill came in very excited: “the script is a disaster!” I didn’t even hear what he was saying. My bladder kept filling up. I kept having to have to go to the men’s room. Whatever it was, my humiliation, my panic, it was all coming out in pee. And finally he swept out and I looked at Harve and I said “what are we going to do?” and he said “we don’t have a problem.” And he breaks it down into bite-sized pieces and by god he sliced and diced the thing and I thought “oh, give me 24 hours” and in 24 hours I fixed it. Bill walking in when you first answer the door. He was Captain Kirk! And I learned how to write for a star.

He also had some more detail about one specific change Shatner wanted to make, but it was something he entirely understood, explaining:

Nicholas Meyer: The cast of the Enterprise had been in show after show and dealt with all different writers and they were very good and very tactful at dealing with whoever was stepping into the commander’s chair and very diplomatic. And yes this was a different script. It was definitely stretching and much more on a personal level and there was not a big debate. They went with it. The only thing Bill [Shatner] said to me was – because originally I specified how old Kirk was – and he said “do we have to do that?” And I understood. If we specify that an actor is such and such age in a movie and then he is up for a role in another movie where he is supposed to be a younger person and they say “you are already on the record as being this.” So it is simple to say that was vanity, but it was professional clear thinking.

More highlights

Meyer says that as he was finalizing the script for Star Trek II the themes for the film emerged which he saw as “friendship, old age and death.”

Ike Eisenmann said he was a “dream” for him to be in a Star Trek movie and when Star Trek II started casting he “hounded” his agent to get the role of Peter Preston.

Meyer also offered an “apology” to Eisenmann who asked why (unlike Spock) they never showed the fate of Peter Preston’s corpse after his death in Star Trek II

The ambient sound on the Enterprise was suggested by Nick Meyer to be the like the air conditioner thrum from Screening Room 13 on the Paramount lot which was recorded and used.

Meyer notes that Director’s cuts of films are generally longer “but not necessarily better” and he had discouraged Paramount from using the term for his Star Trek II Director’s Cut because he “didn’t change that much.”

Meyer notes that with the severely cut budget for Star Trek II they ‘were never going to afford” bringing back Jerry Goldmith to score Wrath of Khan but he was impressed by a demo tape from James Horner leading to him being selected.

Meyer recalled he was against the final scene with Spock’s coffin on the Genesis Planet which he originally thought of as a “hustle” but changed his mind when he heard Horner’s music for it, which also brought Harve Bennett to tears.

Here is the full video (courtesy of Mad Monster Magazine who hosted the event).

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/06/14/watch-nicholas-meyer-explain-how-bill-shatner-literally-scared-the-pee-out-of-him/feed/10Editorial: 10 Big Picture Takeaways From The ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Trailerhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/05/23/editorial-10-big-picture-takeaways-from-the-star-trek-discovery-trailer/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/05/23/editorial-10-big-picture-takeaways-from-the-star-trek-discovery-trailer/#commentsTue, 23 May 2017 21:50:24 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=47879The new Star Trek: Discovery trailer has been with us for a few days now. We’ve already done our deep-dive analysis, a podcast, and reported on fan and media reactions, and we plan to do even more closer looks at different aspects of it in the future. But today I wanted to take step back from the trees and take a look at the forest. This trailer is a big moment as the first look at what is the return of Star Trek to its natural home on television. There are some big picture takeaways to be had, so here, in no specific order, are 10 that have struck me about Discovery.

1. This is definitely the Michael Burnham show

It’s long been known that Sonequa Martin-Green is the lead in the new series, playing first officer Michael Burnham. For all the talk about Klingons, uniforms and bridge consoles, this notion of having the someone besides the captain take center stage is really the biggest break in Star Trek tradition. Star Trek: Discovery actually has two captains: Michelle Yeoh’s Captain Georgiou and Jason Isaacs’ Captain Lorca, but this trailer really drove home the point that Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham is the emotional heart of the show. The trailer began and ended with her, and made it clear that she’s the star.

This non-captain focus comes from executive producer Bryan Fuller, who was always interested in doing a “Lower Decks” take on Star Trek. Even though he stepped away from the show to focus on American Gods, this original vision remains; it’ll be interesting to see if it perseveres in his absence. As a big fan of The West Wing I remember how it was envisioned as a ‘lower decks’ take on the White House, where the character of the president was not the main focus. But over time, writers gravitated more and more to stories focused on the president, because of the draw of the office. Star Trek’s captain-centric tradition and the draw of the power of the captain’s chair may prove hard to resist to future Discovery writers, who, like us, were raised on very Captain-focused Trek.

Some are speculating that the best way to keep Martin-Green as the lead but also return to Trek tradition would be for her to assume command and get the chair for herself. The trailer even starts off with Georgiou telling Burnham that it’s time for her to get her own command, so perhaps her journey there is pre-destined. But I’m still rooting for Fuller’s ‘lower decks’ concept, and hope the show spends some time exploring Burnham as the first officer.

2. JJ Abrams has nothing everything to do with Discovery

This new Star Trek show is being produced by CBS Studios in conjunction with Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout Productions. J.J. Abrams, who produced the last three Star Trek films, has no involvement at all in this show, nor does Paramount Pictures or Abrams’ Bad Robot production company.

That said, Abrams’ shadow hovers over the trailer. Many observers have come away assuming that this new show is somehow related to the Kelvin universe movies. Why? Because not only does the trailer match the frenetic Abrams style – yes, including lens flares – but also the production design seems more Kelvin-verse than original Star Trek.

CBS is clear that this show is a prequel to the original Star Trek series (TOS), is set specifically in the ‘prime’ timeline, and has nothing to do with the Kelvin-verse. So in terms of continuity, we won’t be hearing about Nero and Ambassador Spock coming back in time, and the planet Vulcan is still in existence. However, CBS is clearly trying to leverage the success of the recent Star Trek films, which have sold tens of millions of tickets and in some ways made it possible for there to be a new series. The stylistic message here, as they reach out to new fans as well as old ones, seems to be “if you liked those movies, you are going to like this too.”

3. Not your father’s (or your grandmother’s) Klingons

When you first heard about how Klingons would feature prominently in the new show, maybe you said to yourself, “Again with the Klingons!” They’ve been the go-to aliens for Star Trek for decades and were shoehorned into almost all of the feature films. But watching the trailer made one thing clear: these Klingons are different.

The Klingons on this ‘sarcophagus ship’ led by T’Kuvma seem less like bloodthirsty warriors and more like a religious cult. It has been speculated that they may not even be what we consider contemporary of that era, but some kind of ‘ancient Klingons.’ Star Trek has always reshaped the Klingons to reflect the times–the real times of production, not just the in-story timelines. In the 1960s, they were villainous stand-ins for the Soviet Cold War foes. When Star Trek: The Next Generation arrived in the era of Glasnost, they were transformed into allies, and later fleshed out to be a sort of cross between Vikings and Samurai. Honor and family were their highest values, and they had the ability to connect with other cultures.

So perhaps these Klingons, too, will reflect our current era. This time they will be morphed to fit with heightened international tensions, or could be there to reflect either the fight against fanatical ideologies or the determination of some to understand those who are so completely alien to us in their way of thinking. Are they enemies? Are they misunderstood? Will they understand our world? A new spin on Klingons for a new era may just work.

4. There is much yet to be Discovered

Even though a handful of episodes of Star Trek: Discovery have been shot, it is pretty clear that all the footage in the trailer comes from the pilot. It is understandable that many viewers, especially fans who haven’t been reading up on every development, think the ship featured in it was the U.S.S. Discovery (when it is actually the U.S.S. Shenzhou) and that the captain on the show will be played by Michelle Yeoh. CBS doesn’t seem to have a problem with creating this false impression for those who don’t dive into the details on sites like this one.

And CBS has made a conscious decision to hold back quite a bit, most notably not revealing the titular U.S.S. Discovery and much of its crew, including Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs). It is quite possible the Discovery doesn’t feature prominently in the pilot, or maybe it’s not there at all.

After a drought of essentially nothing it seems like a lot was revealed, but really, this trailer is just the tip of the Discovery iceberg.

5. Burnham and Sarek have history

One of the ways the trailer indicated how much the focus is on Sonequa Martin-Green’s Burnham was by including two different exchanges she has with James Frain’s Sarek. It looks like Burnham and Sarek have a long relationship that goes back to her childhood.

Sarek is the only main character that provides continuity from past Star Treks. As an Ambassador, he is an important part of the Federation, and could have a key role in any Star Trek show based on that alone. However, this may go deeper, as Sarek seems to be a sort of mentor to Burnham and can apparently dispense advice via hologram wherever she goes.

The exact nature of their relationship still isn’t clear. Did she grow up on Vulcan? We don’t know yet, but as someone who has known Sarek for decades, it makes sense that she might also know Sarek’s son Spock. So don’t be surprised if you hear Spock’s name get dropped on the show, and maybe they know each other and he’ll send his friend a subspace message. If nothing else, Michael and Spock can commiserate about how Sarek is so darned hard to please.

6. They spent a lot of money on the pilot

Last week we told you that the head of CBS Interactive describedStar Trek: Discovery as “cinematic.” He wasn’t kidding! The word “epic”was used by a number of media outlets to describe the trailer. That’s not a word often used when describing other CBS show trailers, or those from other broadcast or even cable networks, and the key to that comes from another word that the head of CBS Interactive used to talk about Discovery: “premium.”

Now spending a lot on a pilot is nothing new for Star Trek, especially due to the need to create so many new sets, costumes and props–essentially, a whole new universe. The budget for the Voyager pilot was the most expensive ever made at the time, a record held until J.J. Abrams beat it with the pilot for Lost a decade later. But it’s obvious that CBS doesn’t don’t want this show to look or feel like any other on CBS or the CW. They want it to seen as a premium show like you’d expect from their Showtime network (like Twin Peaks ), or something with the production values of HBO’s Westworld, which comes from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company.

The reason it has to feel like a “premium” show is because they want people to literally pay a premium to watch it on their All Access streaming service. CBS expectsStar Trek: Discovery to double their subscriber base of people dropping six bucks a month (or a few bucks more for the commercial-free option) for the service. The pilot will air on the CBS broadcast network and will serve as an elaborate commercial for CBS All Access. They are making it look as good and ‘premium’ as possible, even dropping cash to shoot scenes in Jordan.

We also get a sense that like other premium shows, Star Trek: Discovery will be somewhat serialized. The title card in the trailer notes “there was a discovery,” apparently related to the Klingons and their sarcophagus. All indications are that this storyline will continue well past the pilot. Star Trek has dabbled with story arcs before, but it feels like this time they are really going for it.

So expect the pilot to look great. We can only hope they didn’t spend so much that they end up short-changing the rest of the season, which was just extended to 15 episodes.

7. Humor … it is a difficult concept

Star Trek: Discovery has been described as ‘grittier’ than traditional Star Trek, which was evidenced in the trailer: there wasn’t anything light or humorous to be seen. The message was clear that this Star Trek is deadly serious. We even learned that one character (Doug Jones’ Lt. Saru) is an alien designed for the sole purpose of sensing death. (I bet he’s a lot of fun at parties.)

But humor has always been a part of the franchise, from the original series through the movies and subsequent TV series. While Star Trek has always taken on issues and dealt with serious subjects, it has also tried to not take itself too seriously. Since this show seems to be targeting fans of the new movies, hopefully Discovery producers took note of how those films strove to find a balance between dramatic action and humor. Even a deadly serious show like Game of Thrones – something Discovery also aspires to – finds time to lighten the mood. There are ways to have a little fun without falling into Galaxy Quest parody, so hopefully Discovery doesn’t forget to lighten up once in a while.

But there needs to be some lightness that isn’t just about humor or gags. At its core, Gene Roddenberry’s vision for Star Trek has always been about an optimistic future for humanity. This is part of the reason for Star Trek’s enduring success and appeal. This vision was part of the heart of the original Star Trek, and even in the darkest episodes of Deep Space Nine, there was still that core message of hope. We get a glimpse of that idealism in the trailer when Burnham reminds the captain, “We have come all this way, Captain, it would be irresponsible to leave whatever that is unknown.” Her zeal to explore is part of that optimistic vision. Let’s hope there is more where that came from.

8. Infinitely diverse

While a lot of trailer talk has been about the show having an African-American woman in the lead role, a closer look reveals that there is a lot of diversity in Discovery‘s characters, whether it’s humans of different ethnicity or aliens from distant worlds. This is no accident. From the get-go, former showrunner Bryan Fuller made diversity a priority, and said in a recent interview, “We were very adamant early on about that cast, not just in terms of race but also in terms of gender.”

Diversity is not new to the franchise, and the original series, while looking very white male-centric by today’s standards, was actually revolutionary for its time, and put that “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” message front and center. That tradition continued with The Next Generation, andreally amped up even more on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, where we got our first African-American and female leads, along with more inclusion across the board. Then Enterprise took a bit of a step back after that, with just two women in the cast and only one in a proper uniform.

In 2017, though, the stakes are even more elevated. From the choices made in terms of what went into the trailer, it’s clear that CBS is really leaning into this philosophy and is not concerned about the inevitable blowback from those who think that these choices are due to some sort of “political correctness” as opposed to genuine inclusivity. And it also looks like this show will break the cycle and not require any female cast members to wear skimpy mini-skirts or skin-tight catsuits.

9. Conflict is drama

Watch any modern TV series and you’ll see that the main characters don’t always get along. Conflict is always the source of drama. A frequent criticism of on Star Trek, particularly with The Next Generation, was that conflict always had to come from outside the main cast, with various guest star baddies going head-to-head with Picard or Riker–but god forbid Riker and Picard ever clash.

Avoiding this conflict within the crew was one of the tenets of the so-called “Roddenberry Box,” where Star Trek: The Next Generation creator Gene Roddenberry stipulated that there would be harmony within the Federation and especially within our characters. Roddenberry was a genius and his vision must remain part of Star Trek forever, but I am glad to see that this is one element of his will not be carried into Discovery. And of course it still works within canon as the conflict-free Federation was more of a 24th century idea … just ask a certain “pointed-eared hobgoblin” if he ever had conflicts on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and you’ll get a pointed earful.

Of course there is much more to drama than having your characters yell at each other, but I suspect the writer/producers for Discovery know that. Perhaps this is a stretch, but I sense a bit of Picard in Georgiou and Kirk in Burnham. You don’t need to to make one character weak or cartoonish to allow for conflict. In this short trailer we get the sense that while Burnham has the trust of her captain, they aren’t afraid to mix it up. And we also see that Bernham is a woman of action, willing to fight for her views, fight for her crew and possibly even take matters into her own hands.

10. Still no seatbelts

Much has been debated about the design of the bridge of the U.S.S. Shenzhou. Fair enough–the bridge is a key location for any Star Trek show. When I look at the bridge I see an oval shape, a captain’s chair, a couple of consoles behind and ahead of the captain, and a ring of duty stations with most of the crew facing a large viewscreen. To me, all the core elements of a quintessential Star Trek bridge are there, right down to the questionable Starfleet philosophy generally not requiring any seat restraints, even though the inertial dampeners are sure to act up at some point.

If you were to show any casual observer of pop culture scenes from this bridge, they would almost certainly immediately identify it as Star Trek, even if they had no idea that this was from a new TV show. They would also probably accept this as what a science fiction space ship could look like in the 23rd century. And as much as we all still love it, the same could not be said for the TOS bridge. For all the concern about how this “fits” and if they are “retconning” or “re-imagining,” we aren’t seeing something that would fit better with Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica or some other science fiction franchise. It may be a bit dark and the colors may be a bit more muted – certainly compared to other ships of this era – but are lighting levels and color palettes the true definition of Star Trek?

Perhaps some are using production design as a proxy for how the show will approach Star Trek history and continuity. And if the U.S.S. Discovery encounters the Borg, or travels through the Bajoran Wormhole, or even finds some Horta, I will join others with torches and pitchforks. But I just can’t get too worked up over aesthetics as long as they are ‘in the zone.’ I’m sure we can all come up with some ‘headcanon‘ explanation as to how this ship can sit in the same universe at the time with Captain Pike’s U.S.S. Enterprise. I am more looking to see if this show can deliver thoughtful allegorical sci-fi drama mixed with action and a bit of fun. I’m fine with dark ship sets as long as it feels like part of the hopeful future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry. I may not be completely sold on the gold, silver and bronze details on the uniforms, but if the characters wearing them get developed and fleshed out over time I really won’t care.

So in this new trailer I see a new but familiar workspace that has been updated for our time. I see that they have set the stage so that once again a group of characters can band together to face new challenges and yes, to discover strange new worlds and new civilizations. It is yet to be known if they (and those on the U.S.S. Discovery) will be able to delight, inspire and entertain us as the crews of past Star Treks have, but I am looking forward to see where they go.

So after a long wait this trailer still has me excited about Star Trek: Discovery. The whole team at TrekMovie eagerly awaits bringing you every new update between now and launch in the fall, where we will again look at the forest, the trees, the leaves and even the forehead ridges.

A big thank you to Laurie Ulster for her assistance as my first officer for this editorial.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/05/23/editorial-10-big-picture-takeaways-from-the-star-trek-discovery-trailer/feed/242Ten Star Trek Fun Facts From Michael Westmore’s Memoirhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/04/27/ten-star-trek-fun-facts-from-michael-westmores-memoir/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/04/27/ten-star-trek-fun-facts-from-michael-westmores-memoir/#commentsThu, 27 Apr 2017 18:30:22 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=47323Michael Westmore was, in his own words, “the makeup creator and supervisor of everything Star Trek” for 18 years. While that history alone is fascinating and well worth telling, his entire career will blow your mind when you read his memoir “Makeup Man — From Rocky to Star Trek, The Amazing Creations of Hollywood’s Michael Westmore,” written with Jake Page and featuring a foreword by Patrick Stewart.

Westmore comes from a dynasty of Hollywood makeup artists that started with his grandfather George, who established the first movie makeup department in cinema history. George’s five sons all went into the same business; Westmore’s father, Monte, designed Paul Muni’s makeup for Scarface (1932), helped create the flapper sensation with Clara Bow’s “It” girl look, and worked on Gone With The Wind.

The book covers the Westmore family history, then takes a deep dive into Michael Westmore’s astonishing career. He worked on all of the Rocky films, and was the ONLY makeup artist on the first one, having to keep meticulous records of each cut, swelling, and bruise on the faces of both Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers. This came in handy when he was working on Raging Bull with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, too.

He has worked with every major Hollywood star you can think of: Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Shelley Winters, Robert Duvall, Shirley MacLaine, Elizabeth Taylor, and more. He made up Michael Jackson so the superstar could go for walks in public without anyone knowing. He created makeup for Blade Runner, Mask, and First Blood, the first Rambo movie. “When traveling with Sly,” wrote Westmore, “I could never carry enough fake blood and sweat.”

Star Trek comes a-calling …

In the spring of 1987, he started getting a lot of phone calls from friends who wanted help with Vulcan ears, Klingon foreheads, and alien makeup, all for a brand new Star Trek series. Finally the producers heard his name so many times that they called him in for a meeting, and offered him the job that same day. Westmore created and shaped aliens from the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation to the final days of Enterprise, and four of the movies as well (Generations through Nemesis).

Some of these stories will be familiar to longtime fans, some will be new, but all are pretty fascinating.

Photo from Michael Westmore’s book “Makeup Man”

1. Brent Spiner’s chest hairs got special treatment.Occasionally, Westmore had to make a plaster cast of some part of Brent Spiner for a specific scene. Once, while doing one of his chest, he didn’t have quite enough Vaseline on hand to prep him. When it became time to remove the cast, it stuck, so Westmore had to snip Spiner’s chest hairs one by one until he was free … and each snip, no matter how carefully done, was followed by an “ouch!” from poor Spiner. (Westmore had some experience with this, as he and his uncle Bud once similarly trapped Rock Hudson’s entire head, and Bud had done the same to Loretta Young with a plaster leg mold, but in that instance, the snipping had to happen a lot lower. Ouch, indeed.)

Brent Spiner didn’t know what was coming.

2. Alien heads were not always that easy to remove.Remember the Selay from Star Trek: The Next Generaton? Originally designed by Andy Probert, the costumes followed Gene Roddenberry’s rule that one always had to be able to see aliens’ eyes and mouths. Things were so busy that week, as they were also creating Anticans for the same episode, they farmed out the creation of the Selay headpieces. When they got them back, the heads were very rigid and difficult to put on, or remove, quickly. One day on set, an actor in a Selay costume wasn’t feeling well, and while everyone scrambled to get the headpiece off him, they were too late: he threw up inside it. Needless to say, that particular headpiece was permanently retired.

The Selay in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “Lonely Among Us.”

3. There’s a reason Jolele Blalock’s eyebrows kept changing.Westmore was never happy with Jolene Blalock’s eyebrows; he thought that they violated the rule that all Vulcans have arched eyebrows, and hers were pretty round, especially at the beginning of Enterprise‘s run. Over the course of four seasons, he arched them more and more, and says that if the show had gone to a full seven seasons, they would have been perfect by the end.

T’Pol’s eyebrows underwent some changes between season one and season four.

4. The Borg were made from some pretty old tech.Westmore’s son Michael helped him design the Borg, using parts from old, broken circuit boards to make the various implants and pieces stuck to their bodies.

A Borg drone in “Best of Both Worlds” from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

5. The Borg concealed some silly secrets, right on their bodies.They took things a step further for the movie Star Trek: First Contact. Makeup artists were creating dozens of individual pieces for the Borgs’ faces, and wrote their own names directly onto the implants, making sure they wouldn’t be seen on camera. One artist added the words “Westmore’s House of BBQ” in one of them, and Westmore himself didn’t find out until long after the movie was finished.

A Borg with secretly inscribed facial appliances from Star Trek: First Contact.

6. The Borg’s blinking lights were not as random as they looked.Final Borg fact: the blinking lights on some of the Borg actually spelled words out in Morse code, including the name of Michael Westmore Jr.’s dog.

Blinking lights on the Borg weren’t as random as they seemed.

7. Sometimes Westmore was very literally behind the scenes … as in RIGHT behind them.Remember TNG “Conspiracy,” when Remmick swallowed the parasite and his neck started puffing out in all different directions? Westmore attached air bladders to Robert Schenkkan, who played Remmick, and to that attached some rubber tubing and ran it down his back. But the only way to inflate it to get the effect they wanted was for Westmore to lie on the floor behind Schenkkan and puff into the tube whenever the director told him to. It required a lot more takes than he expected, so with each retake he slowly changed from light pink to dark pink to red until he was so exhausted he had to just lie there, helpless, for a while before he could breathe normally again.

Fun fact: Robert Schenkkan is a playwright who has won both a Tony and a Pulitzer, and co-wrote Hacksaw Ridge.

Those neck bulges got their fresh air from Michael Westmore.

8. LeVar Burton had a very specific morning routine.LeVar Burton used to look at each day’s scripts while in the makeup chair on shooting days, while he ate his cereal out of a coconut shell. He had no trouble memorizing his lines, even though this was the very first time he was seeing them.

There’s a reason LeVar Burton is the Reading Rainbow guy!

9. Dax’s spots and Chakotay’s tattoo held secrets.Westmore used to hand draw both Dax’s spots and Chakotay’s tattoo every day, and would number the day and add his signature every time. Chakotay’s final tattoo was numbered “#750 MW” and Dax’s final set of spots was signed “#538 MW,” right on her neck (but under the uniform collar). He frequently gets asked how he managed to make Dax’s spots identical in every episode, but admits that they weren’t, and no one ever noticed–not the producers, and not even nitpicky Star Trek fans. Chakotay, however, remained perfectly consistent, despite being hand drawn every day, and Westmore accomplished this by making sure he always started and finished in the same spot, right over Beltran’s inner left eyebrow.

10. Makeup had its very, very unglamorous side.There’s a scene in TNG’s “The Offspring” in which Data has first created Lal and is introducing her to Deanna Troi. Lal doesn’t look human yet, and is a metallic-looking android with no discernible facial features. To get that effect, actor Leonard Crofoot (who also played Trent in “Angel One” and a Qomar dignitary on Star Trek: Voyager) had to endure a very complex process. His whole body was covered, including his head, and while he had a small space near his mouth to breathe, his ears were covered and the director had to shout for Crofoot to hear instructions. More challenging still, getting the right look meant he had to wear full latex body pants glued in place, coated with an adhesive-based bronze makeup, and was then rubbed down with a bronze powder so he wouldn’t stick to everything he touched. The entire concoction was was so confining that he couldn’t go to the bathroom while he was in it. He spent one very long 14 hour day in that makeup, and avoided all food and drink because 14 hours is a very long time to not use the bathroom!

Leonard Crofoot’s makeup covered him from head to toe.

For many more reasons than Star Trek you should pick up this book. If you have any interest in TV, movies, Hollywood, or the creative arts, you won’t be able to put it down. Pick up the book here.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/04/27/ten-star-trek-fun-facts-from-michael-westmores-memoir/feed/24INTERVIEW: Connor Trinneer Talks Math, Trip’s Pregnant “Enterprise” Days And “Star Trek: Discovery” Possibilitieshttps://trekmovie.com/2017/04/03/interview-connor-trinneer-math-of-khan-reminisces-enterprise/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/04/03/interview-connor-trinneer-math-of-khan-reminisces-enterprise/#commentsMon, 03 Apr 2017 15:00:48 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46901This week, Connor Trinneer is hosting a special Math Encounters event at New York’s National Museum of Mathematics called “The Math of Khan.” Mathematician and Trek fan James Grime will be speaking about the fascinating mathematical ideas featured in Star Trek, including a paradox that upset both 20th century mathematicians and 23rd century androids, the mathematics of alien biology, and the most important question of all: When on a dangerous away mission, does the color of your shirt really affect your chances of survival?

Trinneer graciously gave us some of his time to talk about what he expects from the event, and reminisce with us about his days as Chief Engineer Charles “Trip” Tucker on Enterprise.

The Math of Khan

TrekMovie: How did you get involved with The Math of Khan event?

Connor Trinneer: Well initially I’d met David, who’s one of the board members and founders of the museum. He was in Vegas with his daughter last year, [and I] got to know him a little bit, and then got a call from out of the blue. Cindy, the woman who was organizing this, said they’re doing “The Math of Khan” and would I be interested in doing the intro to this guy’s speech? And I thought, ‘Sure! Why not?’

The funny thing is, most actors are actors because they couldn’t do math. (laughs) At least I am!

TM: I was just going to ask what your relationship was with math.

CT: Uh … contentious. (laughs)

TM: Did you struggle with it as a kid?

CT: I did yeah, terribly so. But oddly, it skipped a generation, because my son is obsessed with math and science and physics and calculus. And it’s a remarkable thing to watch because he seems to have a sense of understanding that I guess I never had. The older I’ve gotten, the more I can appreciate it, but really, for me, in terms of getting through school, math was always just…agh…here it comes…an hour of THIS. (laughs)

TM: Do you know what they’re planning for the talk itself? What can you tell us about it?

CT: I don’t know what this guy’s speech is. I have a feeling that … there are so many things in culture, science, our lives that Star Trek really introduced, in a way. The way we communicate now, all these things that they were doing, especially in the original series, that didn’t exist, ways in which we can evaluate people in medicine, that I’m sure he’s going to cover. But what I think I’ll do is … one, give my brief history of math in my own personal life (laughs) and share my son’s love for it, and really the parent’s joy in watching somebody do things such as … he’d wake up in the morning, and we have a blackboard in our utility room that he would just fill with these equations, and when he’d get out of the shower he’d do it on the mirror, in the foggy mirror. He probably didn’t understand the totality of the equation itself but it doesn’t matter, it’s the interest.

And I’ve got a couple of anecdotes. You know, the first time I walked into Engineering, which is one of the main sets of any Star Trek show, and you’ve got the nuclear warp core, and all that. And Michael and Denise Okuda, who write the bible for all of the tech for Star Trek, they came down and explained to me how it worked. For a second I was like, “This doesn’t really work-work?” They really diagram the whole thing. It would be one thing to go, “Yeah, this is the engine room,” but they’ve got blueprints, they’ve got, I guess in quotes, “working models.”

They were telling me how the whole warp core works and into the nacelles, and that kind of stuff, and I was blown away and then—I hope I’m not giving everything away from my speech—‘cause then, at the end of it, our lighting designer, Billy, he could tell I was a bit overwhelmed. He was like, “C’mere.” I followed him and he opened this little hatch door on this warp core, which was the size of a really large dump truck. In that was a color wheel with five different gel colors slowly spinning, and light shining on him and he’s like, “That’s your warp core, by the way.” It was like, “Oh. OH! Right! Yeah, okay, I get it!” (laughs) Inside this is kind of a disco dance floor!

TM: That would’ve been fun!

CT: Right? You’d have to be very short.

The “disco” warp core

Playing George Bush in new Tom Cruise movie

TM: Tell us about your new movie with Tom Cruise, American Made. You play George W. Bush!

CT: Well, I’ve heard for years, “You should play George W. Bush,” and I’m like, “Shut up.” And you know, when prompted, I can do him, and I went into this audition and sat down and did the scene, and the casting director said, “Do that again.”

I did it again, and she’s like, “Not all the time…” and she points at the tip of her nose: “You can look just like him.” And I said, “Yeah, I’ve heard that.” And she said, “It’s kind of uncanny. I don’t know what’s going to happen here but it’s kind of uncanny.” And I said, “Well, thanks.” You know, at any audition, you do your thing, you walk out, and you try to forget about it.

And then I got it, and was immediately terrified.

Trinneer’s resemblance to President Bush finally pays off

It’s one thing to play somebody that you’re just creating. It’s a whole nother thing to play somebody who everybody, at least in America, has a really specific idea about. Comics have done him, and you can look him up all over the place. And so I did that, I did research on him.

I didn’t know this –when he was in a new city, he would walk the neighborhoods with Secret Service in tow, and just chat with people. And they filmed it, it’s on YouTube. And you really get a sense of what the guy was like. Because if you put anybody in front of a teleprompter, their personality, unless they’re Bill Clinton, disappears. And that’s what I found whenever you saw him speaking to the press, or when he was giving a State of the Union. So I used these videos of him just engaging with people in the neighborhoods. And he’s an incredibly charming guy, somebody who you’d want to have a beer with.

And then I got there to Atlanta to shoot and I’d had the script for probably a few months at that time. And I said to myself, “I don’t really care who I work with, I’m not intimidated, I know my stuff, I’m an actor and a professional.” And then, the morning of — we’d gone the night before to have a rehearsal. And there was a scene, there were a couple of scenes with Oliver North, and the head of the DEA, [director] Doug [Liman] and Tom [Cruise] and the rest of the cast, they’re really just breaking apart this scene. They’re tearing it apart and they’re putting it back together, and the writers, they’re furiously rewriting stuff, and I’m thinking to myself, “This is going to be so great. I’ve got a couple of ideas, I’ve got some notes that maybe we could play with, for my turn.” So we spent two hours in there just working the scenes, and then it had gotten a bit late in the evening, and then it’s, “Let’s go upstairs and do the other scene,” and we go up there, I’m sitting on a bench, and Tom’s character is sitting on the bench, and we do the scene, and I’m all prepared with my ideas and notes, and we do it, and Doug walks up to me and he goes, “Louder.”

All right, I’ll do it louder. I did it louder. And he’s like, “All right, we’ll see you tomorrow!” And it wasn’t appropriate to go, “Hang on, I’ve got seven or eight notes here.”

So the next morning, I get in the van to go do my scene and all of a sudden I’m feeling nauseous. And I’m like, “You’re nervous.” Then I thought, “Well you’re not going to throw up, are you?” (laughs) I didn’t.

And then we got there and – I have to say I’ve always been a fan of Tom Cruise’s films and his work, but what a great scene partner. What a real joy to be around, I just can’t say enough kind things about my day with him on that movie. He was just a really giving actor, asked me if I was okay with what we were doing, and it reaffirmed the reason, for me, why he’s so good is that he’s a careful owner of his process, and it was great. In fact, all these things that I’d had in my head, we wound up doing. Because we were just trying to work our way through the scene, but we didn’t have the rehearsal time so we just did it on the day. It was great. I hope it’s in the movie, you never know. Nobody’s told me! (laughs)

Tom Cruise in American Made, which co-stars Connor Trinneer as George W. Bush

The acting process: Trip’s pregnancy, death, duplication …

TM: As Trip Tucker, you faced death, loss, romance, being a clone, pregnancy … what was the biggest WTF moment when somebody handed you a script?

CT: A couple of ‘em. Out of the gate, episode three, I was pregnant.

Trip Tucker, pregnant, in “Unexpected”

One thing about playing a man who’s pregnant, you want to get that right as best you can. So I really spent a lot of time thinking about what I knew from some of the things that happen to women when they get pregnant. Some of them weren’t in the script and I had them put them in.

TM: Like what?

CT: Well … when he got emotional when he was eating the breadsticks. That wasn’t in the script, that he starts to cry. (laughs) And they also put in a scene where he’s talking about how it would be really dangerous for a little one, ‘cause there was an elevator that had been worked on, in Engineering, from one floor to another. And I’d expressed some things, like, “I want him to have real emotional concern for the unknown, such as ‘What if a little kid walked in? What if a little one walked in here and had to shut this hatch? He could cut his finger off!’” I’m not sure that’s the exact dialogue but it was something to that effect.

So that was one of those WTF moments of “What am I gonna do here?” And the other one was when I had to play myself when I was cloned. There had to be some subtle nuances that were different enough that you realized what you were watching wasn’t quite Trip. And that’s the minute work of an actor where you find these things; it didn’t even matter if anybody recognized it, I did. And trying to find the click on the dial that’s one off the original character.

But they were absolute joys to do. Anytime you get an opportunity to really make artistic choices in that way, it’s such a joy.

TM: And the Star Trek shows tend to provide some good opportunities, along with all the technobabble.

CT: Yeah. I get asked a lot: what would you have liked them to do more with your character? I’m always at a loss for words because I always felt like they handed me so much. And I’d get asked by the producers at the beginning of every year and at the end of every year, what are you looking forward to, at the end of the year, how’d you feel about your character development. I was always so impressed with how they handled him. Because early on the series, I got handed some episodes that if I didn’t do them well, they were probably going to write less for me. I don’t know, but I did hear that pretty quickly, the writers heard my voice—the character—and that made it pretty easy for them to write for me. So at the end of every year, I was always impressed and humbled by the things that they’d thrown my way.

Tucker with his clone, Sim, in “Similitude”

Advice for the Star Trek: Discovery team

TM: At the beginning of Enterprise, you guys were breaking new ground, risking canon by taking place before the original series. Everyone out there was so antsy about it, and now Star Trek: Discovery is doing it again. What would you tell them about how to handle the pressure and the responsibility?

CT: I forgot about it all. I was just out there, trying to tell a story. And that’s, at the end of the day, what you’re doing. I mean yes, there’s this outside pressure from the fandom, and the responsibilities for carrying on the message through the canon, but just tell the story. Because it takes care of itself, because it’s Star Trek.

I think it’s time to do another one. It’s been, what ten or eleven years, something like that, and from what I’ve heard, don’t write this in stone, each season will be its own thing in that it’s not going to go necessarily in a linear fashion like this happened and then this happened and then this happened, like most of them did. They may jump years, they may do all sorts of things. But the people involved, it’s such an important franchise for [them], that they’ve got a lot of fingers in that pie to get it right. Sometimes that can be a bad thing but I think that there’s enough people involved that know what they’re doing that they’ll be in good shape. I’m excited about it.

TM: We are too! So what was the biggest surprise for you when you first became a part of this franchise?

CT: The conventions! (laughs)

In all honesty, the work is the work. You’re an actor, you go in there, you put on your costume, you create a character, and you go do your thing. But it was the conventions that were the big shocker to me, I didn’t know what to expect.

I, in fact, didn’t do one until it was near my hometown. My first one was in Portland, Oregon—I’m from Kelso, Washington, which is about 44 minutes away—and I did that one because (starts laughing) — because my parents would come and I’d feel like I’d have somebody in the audience that still loved me!

But immediately, I was embraced by the fans, and it was a wonderful experience, and that whole world of the Trekkers … I knew nothing about. Zero. Since then, of course, I’ve become pretty well versed in the whole thing, having done a bunch of ‘em, but yeah, it was the outside stuff of the show that I wasn’t prepared for.

The work is the work.

TM: It’s a whole extra world on top of everything else.

CT: Yeah! I’d almost say equally as important as the show itself.

Missions: New York 2016

Star Trek in tumultuous times

TM: The show premiered during a tumultuous time, politically. Each show has had its own political era, from the original in the 60s to launching new ones in the late 80s & 90s, to Discovery coming now. Enterprise premiered a few weeks after 9/11. Did it affect the show?

CT: 9/11 changed our show. Hands down. Like it changed all of our lives, it could not help but have an effect upon writers, producers, directors, actors. Our season three was a direct response to it. The Xindi arc. Trip’s sister dying in this attack on Florida. I’ve spoken with Brannon Braga about this, and he says 9/11 changed our show. It couldn’t help but.

Pop culture is sort of a fluid thing that is affected by the hardscrabble that happens throughout the world at any given time. Like you said, the 60s with the original series, and every one of them had some element of politics and world events affect them, and the biggest one in my lifetime had a direct impact on our show. I don’t know what it would have been like without it.

When the whole thing happened, we had just started. And at that time I imagine a lot of people were going through a similar thing I was, which was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m an actor, and blah blah blah, who cares? But the world’s changed, and how am I going to be a part of it?’ I remember struggling with this idea that I’m just an actor on a TV show.

And I had a conversation with my father and I expressed these things, and he said, “I actually disagree with you. I think that what you’re doing is absolutely important, and vital, and especially right now, because you’re giving people a way to escape a bit. And you’re doing it in a way that is Star Trek, with that human message, and humanity, and what we can offer to the world and to the universe. And you actually have a responsibility now that you didn’t maybe have before this happened.”

And that really helped me put it into context and made me feel that I was making a difference.

TM: That’s a wise father you’ve got there!

CT: Indeed he is! (laughs) And he was right. And I’ve heard as much since then, I encounter all these people at conventions and anytime I go somewhere, there’s always someone, or several people, who tell me how the show—sometimes my role in particular—affected, changed, and some said saved their lives from whatever they were going through at that time. You know, you really value and hold on to those messages people send you.

Watching the Xindi attack on Florida in “The Expanse”

Trip Tucker or bust!

TM: Let’s move on to something easier, and lighter…

CT: My favorite color is blue!

TM: Noted! If you could play any character on any of the series, who would you pick?

CT: I got to play the right guy for me. I really believe that. I hit the lottery with Trip. He had so much going on with him as we went along throughout the series and so many things put in front of him. Real dynamic storytelling was the plate that I ate off of every day. I would not trade having played Trip Tucker for any other part.

“Bounty,” from Enterprise‘s second season

Trip Tucker, a Star Trek: Discovery hologram?

TM: Do you know what they would have done your character with more seasons? You died, but they said that would not have been the case had the show come back.

CT: I’d almost died a couple of times before that anyway. It’s science fiction, nobody ever really dies in science fiction. (laughs)

I would think that the events that occurred in the finale would not have happened. I imagine that, I don’t know that for a fact. One of the things they had to do was to involve us into the web of the history and the chronology of the show. And one of the ways they did that was by making sure the Captain lived. And why they did what they did, I don’t know.

What would have happened? He would have boldly gone on!

TM: He could go on to Discovery. He could show up there, it would work.

CT: Anything can happen! I’ve thought about this. I’m like, “Could I be like Obi Wan, or R2D2, or Princess Leia, when they do a little video presentation of certain things you need to know, and all of a sudden Trip’ll pop up?”

He’s dead at that point, but you know … I think it would be no problem whatsoever to incorporate the soul of Trip Tucker into something.

Not sure if you should invest in the Star Trek: Enterprise Blu-ray box set? Read our review.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/04/03/interview-connor-trinneer-math-of-khan-reminisces-enterprise/feed/22New William Shatner Doc Explores Star Trek’s Influence On Science And The Worldhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/03/18/new-william-shatner-doc-explores-star-treks-influence-on-science-and-the-world/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/18/new-william-shatner-doc-explores-star-treks-influence-on-science-and-the-world/#commentsSat, 18 Mar 2017 17:30:06 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46605William Shatner’s latest documentary, The Truth Is in the Stars, has him talking to both celebrities and scientists about how Star Trek has impacted and inspired them, and how art and science go hand in hand.

William Shatner examines space exploration, imagination, and immortality in new doc

William Shatner is back with a new Star Trek-themed documentary, The Truth Is in the Stars, premiering on Sunday on TMN in Canada and coming soon to Netflix in the US and globally. Directed and produced by Craig Thompson, who also co-produced Shatner’s The Captains in 2011 and Chaos on the Bridge in 2014, The Truth Is in the Stars moves away from looking at the making of Star Trek to a focus the franchise’s influence. In this film, Shatner narrates and travels the world for a series of interviews with celebrity Trek fans as well as brilliant, groundbreaking scientists.

William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson in “The Truth Is in the Stars” documentary

Mini Review

William Shatner is the perfect host for this doc that explores the intersection of imagination and science. Whether he’s bringing sandwiches to Seth MacFarlane (“This is the greatest deli sandwich you’ve ever had!”), asking Whoopi Goldberg how Star Trek changed her vision of the future, taking a virtual walk around Mars with astronaut Chris Hadfield, or learning how art and science are irrevocably intertwined with Neil deGrasse Tyson, he never fails to entertain, amuse, and inform the audience along the way. His own awe at finally getting to talk with Stephen Hawking is palpable–as is Hawking’s excitement about his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation–and his wonder at all that he learns from each person is contagious. This joyful documentary explores how the imagination is what fuels even the most fact-based scientific minds, and why Star Trek has had such a colossal impact on all of these individuals, as well as people all over the world. He also addresses mortality, the sacrifices made by explorers, and gets the ultimate thrill when he makes Hawking laugh.

For all of the fun he has had poking fun at his Star Trek image over the years, he spends the time in this doc showing how important it is, too, and how inspiring the show has been for the dreamers and scientists who are out there exploring theoretical physics and space itself.

William Shatner with Stephen Hawking in “The Truth is in the Stars”

The Truth is in the Stars debuts Sunday, March 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on The Movie Network in Canada. There will be multiple re-airings and the documentary will be available on TMN GO and The Movie Network OnDemand. For more info visit themovienetwork.ca.

Trailer

Doc airs Sunday in Canada, coming to Netflix soon

While Canadians get to see the new documentary first (which was also the case with Chaos on the Bridge), it will soon be available to the rest of the world. A spokesperson for the production company behind The Truth Is in the Stars tells TrekMovie that they have secured a deal with Netflix and the doc should be on the streaming service in the US and globally (outside of Canada) later this spring.

Netflix is also the streaming home to Shatner’s previous Trek doc Chaos on the Bridge and Adam Nimoy’s award-winning For the Love of Spock documentary about his father. And of course Netflix streams the entire Star Trek catalog of TV shows and will be streaming Star Trek: Discovery outside North America.

Poster for “The Truth Is in the Stars”documentary – airing this weekend in Canada and coming soon to Netflix around the world

TrekMovie will provide an update when a release date is set for The Truth Is in the Stars, as well as a full review.

The subject of exploring new worlds and new civilizations has become more topical, especially following NASA’s recent announcement that they had discovered seven Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone around the star Trappist-1, about 40 light years from Earth. And last summer an Earth-sized planet was discovered orbiting in the habitable zone of our nearest stellar neighbor Proxima Centauri, a mere 4 light years away.

NASA has recently discovered a number of strange new worlds

All this talk of new planets garnered the interest of the international polling firm YouGov – who conduct scientific surveys for media outlets like The Economist as well as major corporations and non-profits – to find out how people view the possibility of alien life. Their first round of polling showed a plurality of Americans (40%) believed that some form of alien life existed on these recently discovered planets, but there seemed to be no consensus on why humanity has yet to be contacted by any advanced civilization.

This was followed up with a new round of polling that YouGov has just supplied to TrekMovie regarding how Americans felt about how future human explorers should treat less advanced civilizations. It turns out that Star Trek’s much vaunted “Prime Directive” of non-interference did not come out on top. More Americans (34%) believe we should make contact with these aliens and do what we can to help them, with 29% feeling we should apply Starfleet General Order #1 and simply leave them alone. Much less popular were the more aggressive approaches, with 5% approving of what you might call the Cardassian philosophy of enslaving the aliens, and even less popular was the idea of extermination, with only 3% backing this more Klingon view. See below for the full question and results.

YouGov conducted the same poll with people in the UK and the results were slightly different. The British public is more amenable to the Prime Directive approach, which came out on top with 37% support, with 36% backing benign interference. The two more aggressive approaches (enslavement and extermination) only received a combined 3% support.

It is striking that less than 40% of Americans and Brits back the the idea of the Prime Directive. While Star Trek has shown that in the future there were some critics to this approach of non-interference, and while certainly there were periodic violations, the rule was generally taken very seriously. It may be that this was only due to learning the dangers of getting involved before a civilization is ready to travel the stars.

Even with the best of intentions there can always be unforeseen consequences, possibly resulting in a Gangster Planet or even Space Nazis. And this isn’t isolated to Star Trek’s Prime timeline; we saw the new crew of the USS Enterprise inadvertently destroy/create a religion after saving a species from extinction in Star Trek Into Darkness.

Star Trek shows if you interfere with an alien culture, it may blow back on you

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/14/what-prime-directive-new-poll-shows-public-prefers-first-contact-with-aliens/feed/24Campaign Launched To Restore Star Trek Wax Figures For Part Of New Exhibitionhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/03/14/campaign-launched-to-restore-star-trek-wax-figures-for-part-of-new-exhibition/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/14/campaign-launched-to-restore-star-trek-wax-figures-for-part-of-new-exhibition/#commentsTue, 14 Mar 2017 21:01:13 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46503A new campaign has been launched to bring the Movieland Star Trek wax figures back to life, plus we have a couple of celebrated Trek vets giving video tours of some Star Trek-related exhibitions.

Back in 2012 and 2013, Star Trek fan and collector Huston Huddleston launched a crowdfunding campaign to restore a replica of the bridge set of the USS Enterprise D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He had recovered all the components of the set which had been discarded by the defunct “Star Trek: The Experience” Las Vegas attraction and a separate touring Star Trek exhibition. The plan was to raise $250,000 to bring a complete set back up to show condition and to display it for fans to enjoy. The campaign came up short, bringing in just $68,000, but Huston pressed on, seeking corporate and foundation donations as well as expanding the project into what has become the planned Hollywood Science Fiction Museum. The HSFM will have original props, models and replicas from Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner and much more. The goal is to have a permanent museum open by 2022.

For this bigger effort, the HSFM has been set up as a non-profit, and also brought on board a number of Star Trek vets including Dan Curry, Doug Drexler, David Gerrold, Ronald D. Moore and Andrew Probert to sit on the board. In the past few years, work on restoring the bridge has continued and components have been shown at various conventions including the Star Trek Las Vegas convention and San Diego Comic Con. Huddleston tells TrekMovie the Enterprise D bridge will be fully restored and ready to be part of an exhibition tour of props and replicas from the planned museum, which begins at the end of the year and will run for a number of years. There will actually be two tours, one in North America (starting in Los Angeles) and one internationally (starting in Germany). The museum recently released a video of Doug Drexler showing off just a few of the other original Star Trek: The Next Generation props and model pieces that will be part of the planned tour and museum:

Campaign to fund restoring the Star Trek Movieland Wax Figures

Also planned as part of the museum and upcoming tour will be a replica of the original series Star Trek bridge that was displayed at the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, CA, until it closed in 2005. The set and the wax figures were recently donated to HSFM. While they have been held in climate-controlled storage and are in pretty good condition, they could use some restoring, especially regarding the makeup and hair. This work will be overseen by Emmy-winning makeup designer Greg Nicotero, best know for his work on The Walking Dead. Nicotero is a big Trek fan and a board member of the HSFM. In order to get the figures ready for the tour, they are launching a new crowdfunding campaign at Kickstarter, hoping to raise $14,200. There are various rewards, ranging from things like T-shirts and to a party. The video below goes into more detail on the figures and the campaign:

Part of the Movieland bridge as well as the Spock wax figure will be on display at the Wondercon in Anaheim, which kicks off at the end of this month. For more about the museum and tour visit hollywoodscifi.org or their page on Facebook.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/14/campaign-launched-to-restore-star-trek-wax-figures-for-part-of-new-exhibition/feed/9Watch Thank You Video and Sneak Peek as DS9 Doc Wraps Up Crowdfunding Campaign on a High Notehttps://trekmovie.com/2017/03/10/watch-thank-you-video-and-sneak-peek-as-ds9-doc-wraps-up-crowdfunding-campaign-on-a-high-note/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/10/watch-thank-you-video-and-sneak-peek-as-ds9-doc-wraps-up-crowdfunding-campaign-on-a-high-note/#commentsFri, 10 Mar 2017 14:54:27 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46391The crowdsourcing campaign to fund the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine documentary What We Left Behind ends today, and has already passed its final stretch goal. This morning the team behind the doc released one last video to thank the fans, and provided TrekMovie with some details on the status of the project.

DS9 Doc Passes Funding Goal – Team Thanks The Fans

The Indigogo campaign for the What We Left Behind documentary officially ends tonight at midnight (PST). The documentary passed its original goal of $150,000 weeks ago, and earlier this week passed their final stretch goal of $500,000. As of Friday morning a bit over $570,000 has been pledged. To celebrate the achievement and to thank supporters, producer Ira Steven Behr, director Adam Nimoy and the rest of the producing team released a new video, featuring a special guest who hasn’t shown up in any of their previous promos.

One of the producers, Kai de Mello-Folsom, gave us a comment on behalf of the team about the campaign’s success, stating in an email:

We’re still simply astonished at the outpouring of support from the DS9 community. In just one short month, we’ve come further than anyone on our team might have hoped and raised over a half a million dollars, surpassing our initial goal in just one day and now blowing through all four of our stretch goals for the campaign.

Kai also confirmed that due to the amount of support they have received they are now “pushing ahead with our goal to remaster select clips from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the film for the first time in high definition.” In addition, they are already moving ahead with a new round of interviews with cast and crew, which will take place in the coming weeks. These include a new roundtable discussion with Denise and Mike Okuda and the visual FX team for DS9. Kai also tells TrekMovie they plan to reach out to fans to “gather their thoughts and reactions to DS9, its original run, and it’s reemergence in modern society.”

Sneak Peek – Terry Farrell on Dax: Yoda or Grace Kelly?

Also new from the documentary team: a snippet of an interview with Terry Farrell talking about the confusing direction she received from executive producer Rick Berman on how, exactly, she should play Dax:

More fun DS9 Doc campaign promo videos

Throughout the campaign, the production team has released a number of fun promotional videos to get fans engaged. Watch them below.

Missed the whole history of the crowdfunding campaign and Terry Farrell’s walk around the Paramount lot? Catch up here.

Stay tuned to TrekMovie.com for all the updates and news on the DS9 doc What We Left Behind.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/10/watch-thank-you-video-and-sneak-peek-as-ds9-doc-wraps-up-crowdfunding-campaign-on-a-high-note/feed/16Jean-Luc Picard’s Autobiography Coming This Fall, and The First “Star Trek: Discovery” Novel Gets a Titlehttps://trekmovie.com/2017/03/09/jean-luc-picard-autobiography-star-trek-discovery-novel-title/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/09/jean-luc-picard-autobiography-star-trek-discovery-novel-title/#commentsThu, 09 Mar 2017 19:10:41 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46375If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Jean Luc Picard, you’re in luck: you’ll be able to read his autobiography later this year. We also have news about the first book tied into Star Trek: Discovery.

Autobiography of Picard coming this fall

Titan Books has announced that they are following up with last year’s “Autobiography of James T. Kirk: The Story of Starfleet’s Greatest Captain” with a new book, “The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard: The Story of One of Starfleet’s Most Inspirational Captains.” Like the Kirk book, this bio about the Star Trek: The Next Generation’s captain will be written from an in-universe perspective. Returning to pen the book is David A. Goodman, who wrote the Kirk book and Titan’s in-universe history book “Federation: The First 150 Years.” As a life-long fan, Goodman is well-versed in Trek lore and served both as a writer and producer on Star Trek: Enterprise and as a writer/producer for Futurama, where he scripted the love-letter-to-Trek episode “Where No Fan Has Gone Before.”

Cover for Jean-Luc Picard bio coming this fall

Here is the official description:

The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard is an in-world memoir chronicling the story of one of the most celebrated names in Starfleet history. His extraordinary life and career makes for dramatic reading: court martials, unrequited love, his capture and torture at the hand of the Cardassians, his assimilation with the Borg and countless other encounters as captain of the celebrated Starship Enterprise.

“The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard” will be released in hardcover this fall with a retail price of $24.99.

First Discovery Book Gets A Title

As previously reported, David Mack will be writing the first novel tie-in to the upcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery. Mack has now updated his website with a title for the book which is Star Trek: Discovery – Desperate Hours. His site lists the date of the book as January 2018, however Mack tells TrekMovie this is only a guess and that for now all he knows for sure is the book will come out after the premiere of the show. As of now there is no description or cover, but you can already pre-order the Kindle edition at Amazon.

Just released in non-fiction is the fun hardcover book “Star Trek Cats” written and illustrated by Jenny Parks, described as a “astonishingly vivid homage to the original Star Trek series with an unexpected twist: a cast of cats.”

See our books category for TrekMovie’s news and reviews of Star Trek books.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/09/jean-luc-picard-autobiography-star-trek-discovery-novel-title/feed/38TrekDocs Twitter Account Shares Insights Into Star Trek’s Historyhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/03/05/trekdocs-twitter-account-shares-insights-into-star-treks-history/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/05/trekdocs-twitter-account-shares-insights-into-star-treks-history/#commentsSun, 05 Mar 2017 19:10:45 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46292When it comes to sharing gems from Star Trek’s behind-the-scenes history, its hard to find examples of items not seen many times before by much of the Trek fanbase. A relatively new Twitter account, @TrekDocs, has managed to do just that, and is bringing these historic Trek documents to the masses.

The “docs” themselves cover a wide range: from internal memos to behind-the-scenes photos to story pitches to letters sent in by fans.

We got a slide scanner for Christmas, along with about 100 slides from the set of Farpoint! Really awesome stuff here. Riker’s reaction: pic.twitter.com/JgvTLKG0Nn

We were curious as to how this Twitter account came to be. Where were these documents coming from, and who behind TrekDocs was able to procure them? TrekMovie spoke with one of the members of the TrekDocs team who introduced himself only as “Tom Paris” and explained that the team have decided to remain anonymous. “Tom” tells us that the TrekDocs team all used to work on Star Trek in one way or another and so were in the perfect position to save some of these historical documents when Star Trek halted its television production after the end of Enterprise.

“When Enterprise ended, Paramount ordered the production offices cleared out,” explains Tom. “There were numerous boxes of older material that would have been taken away and destroyed. As longtime Trek fans, we recognized that these boxes contained some pretty amazing franchise history. So instead of ending up in an incinerator, they ended up in our garages, closets, and storage units. They stayed there for a while and then we figured we should get them out there.”

The team decided that Twitter would be the best place to share their docs with the world. “It’s more anonymous, it’s less maintenance than a website, and we just thought it would be a fun way for people to see them,” says Tom. Their goal is to attract new followers to the @TrekDocs account in order to share their corner of Trek history with as many fans as possible.

“We take the time to do this because we love Trek; it’s been a huge source of inspiration to us. Reading this stuff was a joy, and we want to share that joy of discovery with people who love the franchise as much as we do.”

A fan laments the fate of Picard after the “Best of Both Worlds” cliffhanger. “Why don’t you just rip my heart right out?” June 25, 1990. pic.twitter.com/G3QYubShXi

TrekMovie: How much material would you say you guys have, and what form does it take (slides, photos, video, props, etc?)

TrekDocs: We have a few thousand pages of documents, though not all of it is interesting enough to warrant a post. It’s mostly paper, but we have some slides and photos as well. No video, unfortunately. There are a couple props, but they don’t fit into the scanner.

TM: Do you have any particular “gems” in the collection that you are holding onto to reveal at a later date? Or do you just go through the boxes and post whatever item you find next?

TD: There are obviously documents that are cooler than others, and we want to make sure that if you come to the feed a year from now you’re not just getting memos about office furniture and catering. So we hold onto the really good stuff and try to parcel those out with a bit more forethought. Anything actually written by Gene, for example. Or really early TNG stuff that helped to define the series. There’s definitely a method to what we post and when.

TM: Tell me about the cooler documents. Do you have any favorite items that have been posted to the twitter account? Which item that you’ve posted do you feel has the most “significance” for Trek’s history?

TD: For the 50th anniversary we posted a memo where Gene reacts to a writer putting “will you marry me?” in a script. He uses it as an example of TNG writers having to let go of their “soon-to-be-outmoded values and political ideas” and goes on to talk a little about the difficulties the staff will face writing this new Star Trek. It’s a great look at his thought process not just for the series, but for his vision of the future that birthed Star Trek in the first place.

There’s also a great speech given by Bob Justman at a convention in 1987 that we posted back when the teaser for Discovery was released. As for the most significant, we’ve posted a few Bob Justman memos from 1986 where he casually suggests things like families on the ship or a Klingon member for the crew; it’s fun to read those and imagine everything we know about TNG coming together.

TD: Everything is TNG or later, so sadly we’ve got no TOS material. The bulk of it is from development of TNG through the end of that series. We also have some Voyager, DS9, and Enterprise materials, including fun stuff from the development of all three. There’s also scattered bits from all of the TNG movies.

TM: How long have you been running the account, and how much longer can it be sustained (assuming that it can go so long as you have new documents to show)?

TD: We’ve been going since April of 2016. Based on what we currently have, we’re probably good for another two years or so. It’s our hope that, as the feed gets more readers, other people will come forward who have fun documents like this and help to fill out the collection.

—

We can’t wait to see what other special items TrekDocs has in store. Follow @TrekDocs on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest behind-the-scenes treasures.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/03/05/trekdocs-twitter-account-shares-insights-into-star-treks-history/feed/14Remembering The Federation Trading Post, the 1970s NYC Star Trek Meccahttps://trekmovie.com/2017/02/23/remembering-the-federation-trading-post-the-1970s-nyc-star-trek-mecca/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/02/23/remembering-the-federation-trading-post-the-1970s-nyc-star-trek-mecca/#commentsThu, 23 Feb 2017 16:00:03 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46034Editor’s note: The Federation Trading Post is a fascinating piece of Star Trek history. The first of its kind, the Trading Post was an all-Star Trek store founded by Chuck and Sandy Weiss in the 1970s in New York City and boasted “the only Star Trek museum in the galaxy.” Doug Drexler, who later became famous for his work on Trek (including two Emmy nominations), got his start working at the Trading Post and has since stated that the store’s founders “ignited a couple of careers.”

The Federation Trading Post didn’t last forever; today, a skyscraper stands in its place on 53rd Street. Eventually, it turned into a mail order catalog but ultimately went the way of, well, the mail order catalog. Although its time was finite, the Federation Trading Post had a huge impact on Trekkies of all ages. Chris Gilleece grew up in Brooklyn, watching Star Trek as it aired in syndication in the 1970s. He had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Trading Post, and below he shares his memory of the iconic store.

In the 70s, when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Star Trek used to air at 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday on WPIX TV, Channel 11. One night, right after the show, a 30-second commercial flashed across my TV set: there was now a retail store in New York City called The Federation Trading Post devoted to selling all things Star Trek. It was the first store of its kind. I couldn’t believe it.

If you were a fan in the 70s, you knew how desperate we were for anything Star Trek, so having a store that sold nothing but stuff related to my beloved Star Trek was a dream come true. I went nuts and immediately ran to the next room to tell my Dad that I had to go there. SOON.

The store was located at 210 East 53rd Street in Manhattan, a city block that, in those days, was a mix of businesses, restaurants, and residences. I was the first one out of the car. I ran up the open-iron type steps to a patio deck where I immediately spotted a large rendering of Spock with the Vulcan salute and the words “The Federation Trading Post” on the store’s front window.

Letterhead from the Federation Trading Post

I opened the door and walked in, then reached an immediate state of euphoria as my 10-year-old eyes took in the various kinds of Star Trek merchandise on display. When my family came in behind me I could barely hear them making jokes about my current state of mind; I was transfixed. I flipped again when I saw the mini-musuem that was set-up inside the store. I was like an addict, getting the biggest Star Trek fix of all time.

Mitch Green at the Trading Post cash register (credit: Doug Drexler)

The museum room was lined with accurate reproductions of the control panels and transporter back-glass from the Enterprise, a Balok puppet head and a large scale model replica of a Klingon battlecruiser. There was a phaser displayed among some tribbles and other fan-made props like agonizers and hypo-sprays. They also had William Shatner’s first season green uniform tunic with rank braid on the shoulders. As I gazed upon all of these gems, recorded Star Trek sound effects played in the background on a loop.

I had a tear in my eye, if I remember correctly.

Now, at the behest of my family, I was asked to stop gazing at the museum and start shopping as this was going to be a long process.

I delved deep: photographs of all sizes and types, posters, model kits, books, blueprints, key-chains (they used to carry a “Doomsday Machine” key-chain, which I have never seen since), tribbles, insignia patches, iron-ons, t-shirts, authentic reproductions of third season (polyester) uniform shirts in all colors and hand-made electronic phaser props. I was drooling at this point and was surprised that I wasn’t getting asked to leave for soaking the store’s carpet.

I looked at what ever money I had with me and figured Dad would kick me a few bucks… but whatever money my pops would give me wouldn’t be enough to buy an accurate uniform shirt or a prop quality electronic phaser.

Phaser flyer from The Federation Trading Post

A 6-foot Klingon ship built by a couple of fans from New Jersey. Most of the store’s items were fan-made (credit: Doug Drexler)

If I remember correctly, the uniform shirts were going for around forty bucks a piece (over $200 in today’s money), and the beautiful phaser prop had an asking price of about $175.00 (around $1,000 in modern dollars), despite what it says on the photo. Both were kingly sums back in 1976.

After a long reconnaissance of the store’s wares I proceeded to pay for three insignia patches (which I still have), a few color photos and what was probably my 100th AMT “Star Trek Exploration Kit”. (I know I’m not the only one who went through these Phaser, Communicator & Tricorder model kits like water!)

When I approached the counter to pay, I saw that the cashier had a Boa Constrictor snake wrapped around his neck! I thought it might be a baby Gorn or something. Turns out, he was one of the store’s owners and let me pet the snake and try the electronic prop phaser that was kept on a shelf behind him. I actually considered running out of the store with it, it was that beautiful. It was clear that this was now my Mecca, my favorite store on the planet.

Fan-made model of the Klingon Battlecruiser that was displayed at TFTP’s Star Trek Museum

By now, my family had had enough of my drooling enthusiasm for this fantastic store and ushered me out, my mother explaining to me the economics of why I couldn’t get that official Kirk shirt (with a gold rank braid that was actually correct!) and that we would return again. And we did. My grandmother on my father’s side lived off Third Avenue, and so future treks to the Federation would be on the way! Excellent!

Alas, my dream store faded away after I moved from Brooklyn to New Rochelle, NY. In 1977, The Federation Trading Post closed the doors of its Manhattan store. After that, The Federation Trading Post West opened in California and was strictly a mail-order catalogue business. I’m pretty sure the mail-order business has been defunct for years now.

For all of you who were lucky to have had the experience of the Federation Trading Post, especially at that real “kid age,” you can relate to all of this. It really was a special place for us fans. For all of you who didn’t get a chance to visit this once upon a time midtown magic, I wish you could have!

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/02/23/remembering-the-federation-trading-post-the-1970s-nyc-star-trek-mecca/feed/61Forgotten Roddenberry: Planet Earthhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/02/09/forgotten-roddenberry-planet-earth/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/02/09/forgotten-roddenberry-planet-earth/#commentsThu, 09 Feb 2017 22:00:43 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=46104Welcome back to our bi-weekly series on Gene Roddenberry’s work between Star Trek incarnations. Last time we looked at a boy and his robot in The Questor Tapes. This time we return to the land of the PAX in Planet Earth.

A large chunk of Star Trek’s mythology revolves around NBC’s “unprecedented” willingness to order a second pilot after Gene Roddenberry’s first attempt didn’t quite work for them. In reality, it was pretty common at the time for networks to order a reworked second pilot, usually because they liked the concept but not the casting. TheDick Van Dyke Show, Gilligan’s Island and The Munsters (which was originally in color) are just a few examples. But no one can doubt that Roddenberry was the king of second (and third, and forth, and fifth) chances. After Genesis II was passed on by CBS, ABC was willing to give the idea another shot on their dime. The outcome was Planet Earth (not to be confused with the BBC documentary series), a completely retooled and recast version of the adventures of 20th Century scientist, Dylan Hunt, in a post-apocalyptic future.

Aired a little over a year after Genesis II, Planet Earth hit TV screens in April of 1974. Most critics felt it was the better of the two efforts, comparing John Saxon’s interpretation of Hunt favorably to Captain Kirk and praising its improved pacing. While Genesis II was not as well paced as its sequel and more than a bit corny, there’s a lot I prefer about it. I like Alex Cord’s Dylan Hunt better, for one. Saxon’s Hunt is more Kirk like, upstanding, in command, and willing to throw a punch, but that’s only good if you’re interested in more of the same. I never looked at Genesis II as a stealthy method for bringing back Star Trek. I liked it as its own property.

The PAX, a pacifistic group of NASA descendants, now live above ground in what’s allegedly Albuquerque, New Mexico, but is really UC Irvine’s Langson Library and Murray Krieger Hall. Funny enough, the Planet of the Apes series, which CBS picked up instead of Genesis II, would shoot on this same location this very same year.

The PAX are more like the Federation than ever before, actively sending out teams of explorers in slick, streamlined uniforms. Their technology is more advanced, with intricate medical procedures, tricorder-like devices, and planet-spanning communicators worn on the breast like they would later be on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Hunt even delivers a kind of “captain’s log” at the beginning of the film right after the opening narration. A narrator and a captain’s log? Did I say this film was better paced than Genesis II? I may have to rethink that.

It’s no surprise that the new PAX jumpsuits look and perform like the first and second season Next Generation ones as they were both designed by William Ware Theiss, who created the original Star Trek uniforms as well as the revealing speedo-togas in Genesis II. According to Theiss, the same lime green material that appeared to be mustard yellow on the Original Series command tops was used for the PAX outfits. Depending on the film stock and lighting the PAX uniforms do indeed turn yellow in certain shots as well as in some promotional materials.

Beyond its tone and plot points, though, the film also looks like a throwback. Directed by Star Trek veteran Marc Daniels, Planet Earth has the flat lighting and wide, lifeless angles of your average 1960’s second-rate drama. Gone is much of the dark, cinematic flair of Genesis II. Even the stock subshuttle shots look out of place in the new pilot. I’m not blaming Daniels for this. His tenure on Star Trek was legendary, including amazingly shot episodes like “The Man Trap” and “Mirror, Mirror”. After all, Planet Earth also lacks any interesting sets or props. The matte painting of Tyrania is reused to depict long shots of the new PAX metropolis. Everything takes place in an open field, a ranch set that was probably made for another production, and the aforementioned campus. Even when a member of the team is injured we never see the inside of PAX as we did in Genesis II. When we find him convalescing from major heart surgery at the end of the episode he’s inexplicably on a bench in the open air. ABC was clearly being stingy.

Fortunately, Saxon’s Hunt isn’t completely Kirkified. He still retains some of the violent nature of Cord’s Hunt, needing to be calmed down by a fellow PAX lest he stab an enemy in the face during a struggle. He also doesn’t have all the answers, discovering the moral of the story at the end, rather than preaching something he knew all along. Of course, what that moral is can be tricky to figure out. Genesis II’s central struggle concerned how a society can defend itself and others from tyranny while maintaining a philosophy of total pacifism. The film didn’t just solve that conundrum, it made me believe its sincerity despite its campy trappings. The problem with Planet Earth is that it wants to deal with a very loaded and relevant topic but doesn’t bother to treat it seriously or fairly.

Planet Earth starts with an attack on a PAX landing party, uh, survey mission by a group of shoe polish faced marauders called the Klingons, uh, Kreeg. The Kreeg are a race of mutant humanoids who loved smoke-spewing custom cars and flashy neofascist fashion seven years before The Road Warrior committed to the whole post-apocalyptic drag racing thing. While the Kreeg are obviously inspired by Klingons, their sagittal bumps inspired the makeup used to depict Klingons in The Motion Picture. The look was probably created by Robert Kinoshita, the film’s art director and a master designer whose credits include Forbidden Planet and Lost in Space.

Nets and punches are thrown, stun guns are fired, rifles are rejected, and, dum, dum, dum, the only black guy gets shot. You didn’t see that coming, did you? The wounded minority in question is Pater Kimbridge, previously a major character played by the amazing Percy Rodriguez and now performed by an actor who only ever had bit parts on sitcoms. Kimbridge was the moral center of Genesis II. In Planet Earth he has two lines, one of them being, “uuuhhhggg!” The team drags him back to the subshuttle and attempts to stabilize him.

On the way, Isiah, the “White Comanche warrior” gets on his knees and prays in what I sincerely hope is not gibberish. Isiah is the only character from Genesis II that was not recast and is still played by lovable giant, Ted Cassidy. This moment of spirituality makes him even more like The Next Generation’s Worf than he was in the previous pilot. He’s the ethnic guy who’s into all the ceremonial stuff everyone else is confused by. His head band and necklace, like Worf’s sash, never let you forget he’s different. When one of the PAX asks Isiah to knock it off, presumably because the PAX are, like Roddenberry, all atheists, the doctor tells her… ok, let me warm up to this because it’s difficult to write out… “No, let the savage pray. It’ll help as much as anything I do here.” Let the savage pray. Sigh.

Star Trek has always mistreated Native Americans, with and without Gene. The show has consistently shown them as unchanging traditionalists and religious fundamentalists in a universe that is technologically and spiritually passing them by. The Original Series episode “Paradise Syndrome” features a group of Navajo/Mohican hybrids left on a planet by space anthropologists for five hundred years and they still look like something out of a Gene Autry film. They have no medicine and don’t even know how to dig an irrigation channel. The Motion Picture features several Native Americans in the rec room briefing scene wearing feathered and beaded headgear with their uniforms – single examples of traditionalism in a sea of culturally neutral officers and crew. Fast forward to The Next Generation episode “Journey’s End” and you have American tribes still running from the white man and doing a mishmash of rituals that belong to no one tribe. They’re as embarrassingly stereotypical as that colony of leprechauns was in “Up the Long Ladder”.

Kimbridge requires a kind of medical attention that only two people on the planet can perform. One is so far away even the subshuttle couldn’t retrieve him in time. The closer one disappeared out near “Women’s Country” over a year earlier. Hunt licks his lips, fixes his combover, and assembles his team. Women’s Country, here we come! But not all is well and good in the land of the Amazons. Hunt is horrified to learn that the men there are used as pack animals who are tied by the neck and sold as chattel. “Women’s lib gone mad!” Hunt proclaims!

Dominatrix lead societies are something Roddenberry couldn’t get enough of. The concept first appears in his original 1964 series pitch “Star Trek Is…” with no less than two episode summaries exploring it. The first was called “The Venus Planet” and featured a race of women looking to entrap and possibly enslave men through their feminine wiles. The second, called “The Pet Shop”, has women owning and treating men like lapdogs. The first time it was put into action was Gene Coon’s script for “Spock’s Brain” in which a group of subterranean women abduct surface dwelling men for hard labor and breeding purposes (pain and delight, baby). “The Venus Planet” summary got fully scripted in The Animated Series episode “The Lorelei Signal”. Dominatrixes would appear again in the previously reviewed 1977 TV pilot “Spectre”, where a character I believe to be a proxy for Roddenberry himself is seduced, not by the servile nymphs that abound in the film, but by women in leather with riding crops and handcuffs. Roddenberry’s final attempt at the dominatrix society is Next Generation’s “Angel One”, which portrays women, not as seductresses, but, rather, physically powerful sultans who command harems of effeminate males in stereotypically objectified female roles. Planet Earth’s Women’s Country follows this approach the most closely.

There is one trait that all these dominatrix stories have in common – they have no comprehensible point to them. Not a single one says anything important about gender relations. In some cases the matriarchy exists only as set dressing. Without a complex and meaningful moral tale behind them one wonders if Roddenberry kept chasing this idea merely to indulge a fetish.

“Fetish” is the word that continually came to mind as I watched Hunt make his way through Women’s Country. His initial plan was to have himself snuck into the village as the slave of Harper-Smythe, the mousey PAX woman Hunt sexually harassed throughout Genesis II, here reimagined as a tough, spritely fighter who secretly crushes on Hunt. Their plan comes apart when Marg, the head matriarch played by the absolutely fabulicious Diana Muldaur, sucker punches Smythe and takes off with Hunt in tow.

Muldaur is, frankly, a national treasure. Her presence is commanding in even the silliest of roles. Her previous experiences in Roddenberry’s works included the risk taking Ann Mulhall in the TOS episode “Return to Tomorrow” and the professionally obsessive, Miranda Jones, in “Is There in Truth No Beauty”. But my favorite of Muldaur’s Trek roles is as Katherine Pulaski in Next Generation’s second season. Pulaski is Gene’s best written female protagonist since The Cage’s Number One because she’s not a female archetype like, say, Uhura (secretary), Troi (empath), and Crusher (mom) were. She’s best described as a more social version of McCoy. Throughout her short tenure Pulaski served as foil or friend to nearly every character on the ship. She bonded with Worf and LaForge, argued passionately with Picard, made command decisions with Riker, and was the only crew member who mistrusted Data’s artificiality. She also showed more growth than any character on TNG by slowly becoming Data’s biggest champion by the season’s end. She was, above all, a challenging personality, and if there was anyone in the universe that needed a good challenging every once in awhile it was the buddy-buddy, feel-good crew of the Enterprise-D.

Hunt is immediately put up for auction and labelled a “breeder” due to his furry pecks and chiseled jaw. The women can’t help but paw and pull at him, making Hunt visibly uncomfortable. What’s worse, before anyone will purchase him, Hunt must be “tested”, which the women imply means public acts of nooky. See what I mean by “fetish”?

When Smythe finally regains consciousness she makes her way to the village where she earns the respect of Treece, a bohemian Amazon who believes men should be better treated, educated slaves, by defeating her in hand-to-hand combat. From her she learns that the men of Women’s Country are being drugged into compliance and, as an unfortunate side effect, impotence. Only Treece is refraining from drugging her men.

It’s not long before Hunt is also drugged and turned into a nervous, eye-averting lemur. Smythe finally makes it to the village center where Hunt is being bid on. As the Amazons playfully rip Hunt’s clothes from his body, Marg realizes she’s totally smitten and reaffirms her claim on him. If there’s any (sexy) testing to be done on this male, she’ll do it. Man, can this sound anymore like a porno? This scene gleefully reaffirms a core Roddenberryism – that men be as sexually objectified for the audience as women.

Smythe wastes no time in claiming Hunt was stolen from her and challenges Marg to a bout of fisticuffs for his ownership. A review I read dismissively calls this a “cat-fight”, but this is one of the few times in the Roddenberry filmography where women fight with actual cunning, strength, and technique. They don’t slap or pull hair, they throw real punches and kicks. If only they weren’t wearing high heels.

Smythe, again, wins the battle and makes friends with Marg. Unlike the menfolk, women feel no shame or resentment in defeat. Smythe asks her new chum if she’s seen another man who wandered in from the outside world. Marg doesn’t know, but offers Symthe a look through her herd and a place to stay in her home. The other Amazons hope Smythe and Hunt make lots of babies and wish for ones of their own. Treece tells them that if they stopped drugging their men it would happen. When Marg complains that men are too unstable to be controlled any other way, Treece snaps back that a real woman could never be dominated by a male… unless being dominated is what Marg secretly wants! Plot point! Plot point! Plot point!

Alone with the roofied up Hunt in Marg’s ranch house, Smythe can’t help but take advantage of his altered state and let’s him kiss her. They snog for a bit, but Smythe ends it before any real action can start. Apparently, her PAX ethics won’t allow her to rape her workmate, thank heavens! Besides, if she hadn’t called it quits, the sudden appearance of Dr. Connor, the dude they’ve been looking for, would have killed their buzz real quick. Connor has been living with the Amazons this whole time, pretending to be under the influence of the drug. The reason he never escaped was because he was working on an antidote to deliver to all the men at once, but, honestly, I think he just liked wearing clam diggers and that little, red bowtie.

Connor cures Hunt of his shyness and the three of them come up with a plan to trade Hunt for Connor so he can get the rest of his concoction into the men’s gruel. Hunt will stay behind and keep Marg occupied until the others can escape. Can you guess how he does it? Hint: it rhymes with “Tex-Mex” and it’s just as delicious.

Playing upon Marg’s secret submissive side, Hunt shows subtle signs of spirited resistance, sitting at the table without permission and telling tall tales of his sexual conquests. Before long Marg has ordered copious amounts wine to be sent to her bedroom.

“The powerful woman who just wants to be walked all over in bed” has never been a trope I’ve bought into or experienced. I’m sure it exists somewhere, but not at the levels the media tends to imply. It seems more like a fantasy men have concocted to reassure themselves that even the most powerful woman can be knocked down a few pegs under the right circumstances.

And so, as the night goes on and Hunt plies her with more wine, Marg tosses away her whip, lays back, and lets him call her “pussycat”. Hunt, thinking he can out-drink his opponent has been sopping up the grape juice as well. In his pixellated state he realizes the patriarchy of his own time was no less silly than what the Amazons have created here. “Women’s lib! Men’s lib!” he slurs. “What do you say we dump them both? People’s lib!” In other words, #AllLivesMatter.

I’m going to admit, seeing these two fundamentalists drunkenly begin to respect and romance each other is undeniably adorable and fun to watch. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Roddenberry is the master of creating chemistry between polar opposites. But while the conclusion, that everyone deserves liberty, not just women, sounds reasonable on the surface, in reality it’s wantonly obtuse. Of course everyone deserves liberty, but right now we’re talking about gender equality and one side obviously has less.

The Original Series episode “Let This Be Your Last Battlefield” suffers from the same kind of “everybody’s gotta give” fallacy. Lokai, the slave, is cast as being as crazy and short sighted as his oppressor, Bele. In the end they are said to be both equally responsible for destroying their world. But that’s not a fair conclusion. What are the oppressed supposed to do? How exactly do you compromise with a side that considers you to be only three-fifths of a person? Settle for being three-quarters of a person? Seven-Eighths? Civil rights is an all-or-nothing game. If the planet Cheron was destroyed it’s Bele’s people’s fault for not just accepting that Lokai’s people were, indeed, people, too.

But really, nothing in Planet Earth’s gender analogy works at all. I still can’t figure out if this is supposed to be a role reversal scenario or a warning about what feminism’s outcome would be if left unchecked. While women have never sought to dominate men, they also have never been drugged-up pack mules or breeding stock. Comparing women to completely helpless drones who need an outside force to rescue them is a denial of everything women have added to our culture and society even in the face of adversity and less-than-personhood. Add to that the fact that none of the sins the Amazons accuse men of land as true. They’re just random insults. It really is a straw man set up against a straw woman that creates nothing but a straw conclusion. Nobody wins.

As the menfolk wake from their stupors thanks to Connor’s antidote, the Kreeg decide to attack. Marg faces off against them and gets slapped around a bit before Dylan rallies the men to battle. All together they protect the village and send the Kreeg running. Marg realizes undrugged men are an asset and agrees to never give them her potion again. The men are delighted and agree to stay as servants, but this time of their own free will.

Um, what? The men agree to stay slaves? What the heck kind of moral is this? Following the role reversal analogy to its logical end, is this what Gene wants from women? Willing compliance? I don’t think so. PAX’s egalitarian society – the purest expression of his utopian ideology – says otherwise. I think this topsy-turvy outcome was less a philosophical treatise and more the product of Gene trying to force his dominatrix fantasy to remain intact.

Another thing that bothers me about the film’s ending is the women’s complete inability to defend themselves against the Kreeg. They don’t have any guns or bows or even swords. This is, after all, a lawless and dangerous world. Even the pacifistic PAX have stun darts. It’s unbelievable that the Amazons don’t have some way of fending off an attack, either with their own skill or with their men as easily deployed infantry.

All in all, I’m not impressed with this Roddenberry effort. There’s some good stuff in here. I like Smythe’s new characterization, the uniforms are one of the best designs Theiss ever came up with, and concept of the PAX educating a 20th century brute is still alive and well. But with such a sloppy and dreadfully thought out moral conclusion I was left mostly wide-eyed in disbelief. What makes it even worse is that when Roddenberry had poor Patrick Barry remake this film as an episode of The Next Generation thirteen years later he didn’t learn a thing. In fact, it became even more confusing and unwatchable with men and women being put to death for… being married? Living in caves? And what was with the perfume virus? I didn’t get it. Planet Earth is at least entertaining with its bodice-ripping, drunken rambling, Kreeg punching good times. Despite the awesome eighties hair and Johnathan Frakes in a blouse, “Angel One” is just terrible.

Oh yeah, Pater Kimbridge lives. Did you care?

Stuff that didn’t fit anywhere else:

Majel Barrett gets her smallest cameo yet as a dispatcher on a tiny view screen. It’s quite a demotion from member of the PAX leadership council. Another reason Genesis II is superior.

When Hunt asks Marg if she believes in “people’s lib” she drunkenly raises her glass and proclaims “I believe in balance!”, referring the the amount of alcohol each of them needs before they can bone. Even smashed out of her mind she isn’t buying this crap.

Villar, the slave auctioneer, wears the same hair buns as Princess Leia. I understand this is not a completely uncommon do, but it’s fun to know the two biggest sci-fi franchise creators used the same hairstyle three years apart from each other.

At one point Isiah considers using one of the Kreeg’s rifles against them, but instead smashes it to remove the temptation. It’s a nice touch.

“Of course you can touch me! Just why do you think you’re here?!” is the best line in the whole movie.

Harry Sukman, who created Planet Earth’s jazzy, Jonny Quest style theme music also scored an episode of The Lieutenant, the show Roddenberry created before Star Trek that starred Gary Lockwood.

Robert Justman produced Planet Earth. This would be the only time between the two Star Trek incarnations that he would work with Roddenberry.

Saxon starred in a third attempt to bring the PAXverse to the small screen, this time as astronaut Anthony Vico. ABC aired the aptly named Strange New World in 1975. Because Roddenberry absolved himself of the project early on I won’t be reviewing it.

I could be wrong, but Planet Earth’s title font seems to be a custom job done up in a bevel that would make a Sega Master System box artist proud. The credits font, however, is identifiable as Lydian Bold.

Adam Nimoy, who did such a beautiful job with For the Love of Spock, is directing, Behr is producing, and the finished doc will feature interviews from the main cast as well as guest stars, behind-the-scenes production people, and a gathering of five of the writers who talk about what they’d do if DS9 had an eighth season.

Cast members Terry Farrell, Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Max Grodénchik, Casey Biggs, Jeffrey Combs, and Chase Masterson all showed up for the video with Behr to screen a bit of the footage and talk about why they need help from the fans. Costs include everything from post-production to licensing, as every clip from the show they include comes with a price tag.

Fans who signed up for email updates got a sneak peak last night and a chance to be among the first contributors to the campaign, with perks ranging from DVDs, pins, and website mentions to on-screen credits and personal experiences (dinner at Nana Visitor’s! Hang out in Vegas with the whole team! Studio tour from Ira Behr!). To be fair, Behr insisted that the cast cough up a little money to help as well.

Watch the video below, and if you’re interested in helping fund the documentary, head over to the Indiegogo page to learn more about it and check out the perks.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/02/09/ira-steven-behrs-new-deep-space-nine-doc-launches-teaser-and-crowdfunding-campaign/feed/44Shuttle Pod 29: The Five Ages of Star Trekhttps://trekmovie.com/2017/01/12/shuttle-pod-29-the-five-ages-of-star-trek/
https://trekmovie.com/2017/01/12/shuttle-pod-29-the-five-ages-of-star-trek/#commentsThu, 12 Jan 2017 19:13:14 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45884The Star Trek franchise has certainly changed over the course of its five-decades long existence. This week, the Shuttle Pod crew attempt to classify each “age” of Trek, in the style of the classical Ages of Man (as is done in comic books: golden age, silver age, etc). And, to do it, we use TrekMovie editor Jared Whitley’s series of articles, “The Five Ages of Star Trek” as a guide.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2017/01/12/shuttle-pod-29-the-five-ages-of-star-trek/feed/45The Five Ages of Star Trek: Day Five, 2006 to 2016https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/30/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-five-2006-to-2016/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/30/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-five-2006-to-2016/#commentsFri, 30 Dec 2016 16:00:02 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45793Today we finish our five-part series examining the franchise’s five decades of history. Today we look at the fifth decade and a world without Star Trek … except for everywhere.

Yesterday, we looked at Trek’s Iron Age, when nerd culture began to rise but Star Trek’s began to decline. As a nod to the Enterprise TV show, we called it the Polarized Hull Plating Age.

Modern Age: 2006 – 2016

The weird thing about the last decade of Star Trek’s existence is it’s the one you can write both the most and the least about. There are only three canonical movies and their contribution to the franchise’s legacy is questionable.

“Bullsh— well, OK, you’re right.”

Star Trek (2009) is the most financially successful movie (domestically) in the franchise’s history and the only one to win an Oscar – make-up, but it also got noms for sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. Into Darkness would prove even more successful (as worldwide receipts had become so much more significant). But the “Kelvin-verse” hasn’t had the same impact on this decade that the TOS films did on Trek’s Silver Age.

Despite the lack of canonical material in the last 10 years, thrusters have, irrefutably, been at full. We’ve seen an explosion of online material about Star Trek, with reviewers like SF Debris, who revisit and dissect episodes in ways that were impossible when the shows were still on the air – even ENT. We’ve seen fans take the helm, creating masterpieces of fan-production like Star Trek Continues. Moreover, Star Trek has fed the Internet’s insatiable appetite for memes, podcasts, and video content, whether it’s something as ubiquitous as the Picard face palm, William Shatner screaming Khaaaan!, or that one Ke$ha video.

This age was the hardest one to name. But because of all the above-listed factors – the financial success of nu-Trek, the rise of fan content, and the popularity of Trek memes – I have settled on the franchise’s fifth decade as the Vreenak Age. An acerbic Romulan Senator’s declaration that “It’s a fake!” became Internet gold a few months after ENT warped into the sunset, and it set the stage for what was to come.

Beyond everything else, this era put Star Trek in front of more people’s eyeballs than ever before, thanks to Netflix and other platforms. (And most notably, the Modern Age of Trek fandom saw the creation of TrekMovie in 2007!) The era ends in July 2016 with the release of Star Trek Beyond.

Vreenak Age

Start: July 2005

End: July 2016

Episodes: 0

Movies: 3

AND BEYOND … now the next decade of Star Trek I’m going to call “The Age of Discovery” for a) obvious reasons and b) because I’ve already run out of phony futuristic metals.

We don’t know how successful this latest installment of the franchise will be or if there will be additional movies. But we’re optimistic at TrekMovie that the next decade will continue to inspire and entertain. For heaven’s sake … if Doctor Who can do a successful reboot, then Star Trek can too. So c’mon. Let’s see what’s still out there.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/30/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-five-2006-to-2016/feed/103The Five Ages of Star Trek: Day Four, 1997 to 2005https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/29/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-four-1997-to-2005/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/29/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-four-1997-to-2005/#commentsThu, 29 Dec 2016 16:00:37 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45792This week TrekMovie’s Jared Whitley is finishing out the 50th anniversary with a decade-by-decade look at the franchise’s history. Today he looks at the fourth decade and the post-TNG world.

As the 50th comes to an end we’re looking at the various periods of Trek history, decade by decade. Yesterday, we looked at Trek’s Bronze Age that started with TNG “Encounter at Farpoint” and ended with the movie First Contact. Given all the cash made in these years, we called it the Latinum Age. Today we’re looking at Trek’s fourth decade.

Iron Age: 1997 – 2005

While a big-screen battle between Starfleet and the Borg marked the end of Star Trek’s Latinum Age, fans were first greeted to what, at the time, seemed like a bit of comparatively unremarkable Gen-X nostalgia: the Star Wars – Special Edition trailer.

I feel a little disloyal starting off not just the Transparent Aluminum Age but this one as well with something from Star Wars, but it’s pretty hard to discuss the success of either franchise in a vacuum. (Rimshot) We went into the relationship of the two pretty well last year on an episode of The Shuttlepod. If Leonard Nimoy had to thank George Lucas for Star Trek’s second coming, then George Lucas absolutely has to thank Patrick Stewart for Star Wars’.

While Star Trek would continue to plug along in its fourth decade (almost 300 hours worth of new material!), it was obvious some of the holo-paint was beginning to crack. Yes, we had highlights like Seven of Nine, the Dominion War, the Las Vegas Star Trek Experience, and the sublime Y2K-inspired Q vs. Spock. Notable also is the creation of Memory Alpha, started in 2004.

People have talked about franchise fatigue until they’re green in the face, but it wasn’t just that. 1999’s Galaxy Quest gave the world a deconstructionist Star Trek movie that did to our franchise what Austin Powers did to James Bond’s.

A year later, the superhero movie frenzy would start with X-Men and, oh yes, they stole our captain and his perfect mate to do it.

DS9 and VOY both kept the seven-season TNG tradition, but both ended with lower ratings than they’d started. Insurrection was a disappointment and Nemesis was an embarrassment. George Takei’s attempt to get his own series failed. True, the Enterprise pilot roared out of spacedock … but then the series sputtered as though someone had gummed up its trans-warp drive.

The Enterprise pilot’s ratings were such an outlier for the rest of the series that, statistically, you’d conclude the pilot never happened.

Because the franchise was still resilient, but not tough enough to endure the photo torpedoes of the new era, I call this time the Polarized Hull Plating Age. It ended in May 2005 with last flight of the NX-01. “These Are the Voyages” saw more fans yelling to get Star Trek off the air than there were yelling to keep it on. It’d been a long time, but our time was finally … over. Or was it?

Polarized Hull-plating Age

Start: Jan. 1997

End: May 2005

Episodes: 284 – 68 (DS9), 118 (VOY), 98 (ENT)

Movies: 2

Return tomorrow for the fifth and final chapter, as we enter Trek’s Modern Age!

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/29/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-four-1997-to-2005/feed/64The Five Ages of Star Trek: Day Three, 1987 to 1996https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/28/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-three-1987-to-1996/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/28/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-three-1987-to-1996/#commentsWed, 28 Dec 2016 16:00:37 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45791To finish out the 50th, TrekMovie’s Jared Whitley looks at the franchise’s five decades of history, divided by the classical “Ages of Man” – but with an appropriately Trek twist. Today he looks at the third decade and the unprecedented popularity of TNG.

As the 50th anniversary winds down, we’re looking at the various periods of Trek history, decade by decade. Yesterday, we looked at Trek’s Silver Age that was ruled by the four original series movies. We called it, appropriately, the Transparent Aluminum Age. Today we’re looking at Trek’s third decade.

Bronze Age: 1987 to 1996

The third decade of Star Trek’s existence saw the critical and commercial success of the last four movies leveraged into unparalleled popularity. With “Encounter at Farpoint” dropping in Sept. 1987, the franchise was (forgive my movie trailer cliché) back and bigger than ever.

The trial never ends …

Because the series was released in syndication, The Next Generation circumvented network interference and was afforded greater control to tailor stories to make its fans happy rather than network executives or advertisers (since advertising for syndication was handled at the local level rather than the national). It was a good time to be a fan – especially come 1991.

The 25th anniversary saw the final outing of the TOS crew and a tie-in with Spock guest-starring on TNG. Just a few weeks before, Gene Roddenberry passed away, giving the franchise a big boost in the press. Even in his death, the Great Bird’s timing was perfect.

So much of the success of Star Trek’s Bronze Age is due to Patrick Stewart and the legitimacy he brought the Enterprise’s captaincy. I mean he literally said, “All those years of working for the Royal Shakespeare Company . . . was nothing but a preparation for sitting in the Captain’s chair on the Enterprise.” And he also named TV Guide’s most bodacious man of the year in 1992!

TNG’s popularity translated from the small screen to the large one, while successfully spinning off two more series in Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Honestly if you want to talk about a “Golden Age” of the franchise, it would be this one. Which is why I’ve named it the Latinum Age. This era came to a close with the TNG movie First Contact, which proved to be the TNG crew’s best outing.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/28/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-three-1987-to-1996/feed/11The Five Ages of Star Trek: Day Two, 1977 to 1986https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/27/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-two-1977-to-1986/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/27/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-two-1977-to-1986/#commentsTue, 27 Dec 2016 16:00:54 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45790To finish out the 50th, TrekMovie’s Jared Whitley examines the franchise’s five-decade history, dividing them by the classical “Ages of Man” – Golden Age, Silver Age, etc – but with an appropriately Trek twist. Today he looks at its second decade and the exploding movie franchise.

As the 50th anniversary winds down, we’re looking at the various periods of Trek history, decade by decade. Yesterday, we looked at Trek’s Golden Age that included The Original Series, The Animated Series, and the start of the convention experience. We called it the Dilithium Age. Today we’re looking at Trek’s second decade.

Silver Age: 1977 to 1986

It would still be a few years until the crew would warp back into action with The Motion Picture, but the Silver Age would begin just a few months after the launch of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. It’s not an installment of the Star Trek franchise, but the franchise probably wouldn’t exist without it: Star Wars hitting theaters in May 1977. As Leonard Nimoy says in I Am Spock: “Thank you, George Lucas.”

The unprecedented success of the space adventure story spurred the desire for probably more sci-fi copycats in the late ’70s/early ’80s – and of course the most (ahem) logical copycat was one that already had legions of fans.

The Silver Age includes less content than any of the other four – The Motion Picture, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and Voyage Home – but the quality of those installments gave the franchise much-needed legitimacy with wider audiences. TMP got three Academy Award nominations while Voyage Home got four. The age also gave Klingons head ridges.

Qapla’!

More importantly, these four movies injected a ton of cash into Star Trek. Inflation adjusted, the average box office for those four is $240 million domestic. (Remember the international box office wasn’t as important back then.) Combined with expanded success in syndication, conventions, and merchandising, and suddenly Star Trek wasn’t just for guys in their moms’ basements.

With more people seeing Star Trek than ever before, and to honor what many still see as the highlight of the entire franchise, we call this period the Transparent Aluminum Age. Rather than ending the age with The Voyage Home, though, I think this age ended when Shatner hosted Saturday Night Live a month later and gave his in/famous “Get a Life” speech … to a bunch of guys in their moms’ basements.

Not only was Star Trek becoming more famous, but so too was its leading man. Also T.J. Hooker happened.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/27/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-two-1977-to-1986/feed/47The Five Ages of Star Trek: Day One, 1966 to 1976https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/26/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-one-1966-to-1976/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/26/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-one-1966-to-1976/#commentsMon, 26 Dec 2016 16:00:26 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45788To finish out the 50th, TrekMovie’s Jared Whitley looks at the franchise’s five decades of history, dividing them according to the classical “Ages of Man” – Golden Age, Silver Age, etc – but with an appropriately Trek twist. Today he looks at the first 10 years.

As the 50th anniversary winds down, we at TrekMovie thought out would be important to take a look back at how various periods of Trek history have been different from one another, decade by decade.

One curiosity long extant in comic book culture is dividing its history according to terms from the classical Ages of Man – Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age – with some level of debate about when each started and ended. (The only one everybody seems to agree upon is the Golden Age started with the creation of Superman in 1938.)

But if you were to give the same treatment to Star Trek, how would you divide its various epochs? If you just cut it up it by decade, you’d have two awkward half-decades (in the 2010s and 1960s). There has to be a better way to do it, one that follows various trends that have shaped the phenomenon.

And because this is the Internet (and more importantly because this is Star Trek), you are all invited (and obliged) to argue about it in the comment section.

Golden Age: 1966 to 1976

As with Superman, the start of this one is pretty easy. The franchise began with airing of The Man Trap on Sept. 8, 1966 in the USA. True, it’s not the first episode in continuity, but it was the announcement to the world that science fiction could look a little different than Flash Gordon. Note that of course The Cage had been filmed a year earlier, but fans wouldn’t see any of it until The Menagerie in 1967 or all of it until its restoration in 1988.

The Golden Age includes all of The Original Series and all of The Animated Series, which includes the franchise’s first Emmy Win with “How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth” in 1974. TAS wouldn’t have been possible without Trek’s conquering syndicated television; by 1972, reruns of the show were so popular the AP labeled it “the show that won’t die.” That year would also see the first ever Star Trek convention in 1972.

Finding an exact point with which to end the Golden Age is a little tricky, so I’ve settled on Sept. 17, 1976 – a decade after Man Trap almost to the day – with NASA’s christening the Shuttle Enterprise and this classic photo.

I love how Gene is optimistically looking to the future while Walter can’t hide just how miserable he is.

NASA’s naming convention includes explorers (Colombia), concepts (Discovery), and mythology (Apollo) – but it also includes a TV show, thanks to Trekkies writing letters to the White House asking that the first Space Shuttle be named Enterprise.

Now because the Gold / Silver / etc. Age is a little inadequate for something as futuristic as Star Trek, we’ve renamed each of these something more appropriate. Therefore, Trek first decade is The Dilithium Age.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/26/the-five-ages-of-star-trek-day-one-1966-to-1976/feed/43REVIEW: Star Trek: The Original Series – The Roddenberry Vault on Blu-rayhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/12/13/review-star-trek-the-original-series-the-roddenberry-vault-on-blu-ray/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/13/review-star-trek-the-original-series-the-roddenberry-vault-on-blu-ray/#commentsTue, 13 Dec 2016 15:00:13 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45710When The Roddenberry Vault project was announced to the world earlier this year at Comic-Con, it was a huge surprise to the legions of Star Trek: The Original Series fans. The Original Series is 50 years old this year, and fans thought that whatever there was to see from TOS had been seen; after all, for the 40th anniversary it had been given a proper HD scan, which meant digging all the film out of the CBS/Paramount archives. So what else is there? Read on to find out…

So where did this new source of alternate takes, deleted scenes, and more come from? The answer to this probably won’t surprise long time Star Trek fans. Majel Barrett and Bjo Trimble started Star Trek Enterprises (later named Lincoln Enterprises) to sell Trek merchandise towards the end of the production of TOS. They grabbed discarded film “dailies” along with other extra footage and sold segments of the film to ravenous fans. Jump forward to 2007, Gene and Majel’s son Rod is going through his family’s assets and realizes there’s a warehouse filled with old film canisters.

Quietly, he and the Okudas check through these canisters as time allows over the next few years, hoping there’s enough worthwhile content to make something out of them. With the 50th anniversary coming up, Rod, the Okudas, and documentarian Roger Lay Jr., work with CBS Home Entertainment to form a plan for a new TOS Blu-ray set that will showcase the found footage. The people who put this together are all Star Trek fans as much as we all are, and it really shows. The work on The Roddenberry Vault feels like it was done by people who love the show and wanted to do right by the discovery of all this footage.

A look at the unique “vault” packaging motif

The Roddenberry Vault is a rather unique home video release in that most people aren’t as interested in what’s considered the “main” content, the episodes themselves, as they are the “bonus” content, where all the found footage resides.

What’s included on each disc

Disc One:Episodes

The Corbomite Maneuver

Isolated Music Track

Arena

Isolated Music Track

Space Seed

Isolated Music Track

This Side of Paradise

Isolated Music Track

Audio Commentary by Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana and Gabrielle Stanton

Special Features

Inside the Roddenberry Vault (Part 1)

Star Trek: Revisiting a Classic

Disc Two:Episodes

The Devil in the Dark

Isolated Music Track

The City on the Edge of Forever

Audio Commentary by Roger Lay Jr., Scott Mantz and Mark A. Altman

Operation – Annihilate!

Isolated Music Track

Metamorphosis

Isolated Music Track

Special Features

Inside the Roddenberry Vault (Part 2)

Strange New Worlds: Visualizing the Fantastic

Disc Three:Episodes

Who Mourns for Adonais?

Isolated Music Track

Mirror, Mirror

Isolated Music Track

The Trouble With Tribbles

Isolated Music Track

Audio Commentary by David Gerrold and David A. Goodman

Return to Tomorrow

Isolated Music Track

Special Features

Inside the Roddenberry Vault (Part 3)

Swept Up: Snippets from the Cutting Room Floor

Episodes

Each of the 3 discs includes four episodes that the producers of the set felt reflected TOS and enough new footage to be specially highlighted.

The episodes themselves are same as the 2009 TOS Blu-ray sets, you get a choice between the newer CG VFX or the original.

A new option included with the episodes, except for “The City on the Edge of Forever”, is an isolated music track. For folks interested in the music this is a unique feature of the set; hard core TOS fans who know the episodes by heart probably don’t need the dialogue to enjoy the episode anyway.

Commentaries

Three new commentaries were recorded for this set:

This Side of Paradise – Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana and Gabrielle Stanton

The City on the Edge of Forever – Roger Lay Jr., Scott Mantz and Mark A. Altman

The Trouble With Tribbles – David Gerrold and David A. Goodman

These new commentaries are nice extras — importantly “Paradise” and “Tribbles” include people who were actually involved in the production.

Documentaries

Here’s where we get to the good stuff! Inside each of the new documentaries is the found footage.

A disclaimer about the footage: these are very old (not well cared for either, I’m sure) bits of film, most were left on the cutting room floor, many are from cheaper film stock used for the dailies. They’re presented here quite raw, with dirt and scratches, audio pops and hisses, and shifted color tints, which all come with aging film.

On each disc is a 30-minute segment of “Inside the Roddenberry Vault” (combined 90 minutes). This documentary follows the episodes included on the disc. Each episode is highlighted and then deleted scenes and alternate takes are woven into the information from Trek experts (including Richard Arnold and Mark A. Altman), notable fans who are now making TV that have been deeply influenced by TOS: Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), David Mirkin (The Simpsons), and Gabrielle Stanton (The Flash). New interviews with William Shatner, members of the production crew, such as Dorothy Fontana, David Gerrold, Joe D’Agosta (casting director), and Richard Edlund (VFX), and the guest stars of the episodes: Clint Howard, Craig Hundley, Elinor Donahue, Barbara Luna, Charlie Brill, Michael Forrest, and Leslie Parish, give depth to the documentaries.

Some highlights from the vault:

Gene Coon’s influence on TOS is brought front and center; often “the other Gene” has been passed over when discussing the production of TOS.

There is a deleted scene from “Space Seed” which shows Khan promising McGivers a place at his side as she mans the transporter controls after beaming him back to the Enterprise with his crew from the Botany Bay.

There is another deleted scene from “Space Seed” which shows how ballsy and no-nonsense McCoy is: while being held by Khan’s men, he confronts Khan about how he (McCoy) had saved his life earlier in the episode.

There’s quite a bit more to Kirk and Edith Keeler’s love story from “The City on the Edge of Forever” which really helps drive home how much the two fit with one another, even though they’re from such different time periods.

The famous Peter Kirk on the bridge scene from “Operation: Annihilate!” was found.

The equally famous (thanks to the James Blish novelization) original ending from “Who Mourns for Adonais?” where McCoy announces that Lt. Palamas is pregnant with Apollo’s child, couldn’t be found as a complete scene, but they did find a reaction take of Leonard Nimoy as Spock, with the script coordinator reading Kirk and McCoy’s dialog off camera, confirming that the scene was indeed filmed.

They found an extended version of Kirk’s “risk is our business” speech from “Return to Tomorrow”.

There is a second documentary included on each disc; these are standalone pieces on different topics.

Star Trek: Revisiting A Classic (30 min.) – This is a look back at the origins of the series and the initial production of TOS. We hear from the surviving main cast members, Adam Nimoy and Chris Doohan are interviewed on behalf of their fathers, plus casting director Joe D’Agosta, and others. Naturally this has plenty of behind-the-scenes photos and “vault” footage. This segment does a good job introducing TOS to more casual fans, and also throws in bits and pieces of found footage for the more versed TOS fan to enjoy.

Strange New Worlds: Visualizing the Fantastic (30 min.) – This is a really worthwhile feature that talks about the design of the show, the cutting edge visual effects that TOS used, and how it was accomplished on a TV budget. Of course the huge volume of work that Matt Jefferies created for TOS is highlighted. We’re treated to newly unearthed original visual effects photography interspersed by interviews with Richard Edlund (who was the right-hand man at The Westheimer Company during TOS and later helped to found ILM), and more recent TNG-era visual effects crew, Doug Drexler, Dan Curry and Gary Hutzel help describe the visual effects processes of TOS.

A collage filmed for use as The Companion effect in “Metamorphosis”

Swept Up: Snippets from the Cutting Room Floor (20 min.) – This a grab bag of various unseen footage, such as alternate takes, and omitted dialogue. Basically, anything else worth including that didn’t belong in one of the documentaries is bundled up in this final piece.

Test footage of the nacelle cap lighting

Final Thoughts:

It’s hard to describe all the bits and pieces included, some are tiny trims, or brief alternate takes, others are complete deleted scenes. It’s really something you’ll have to see for yourself. As a life-long Trek fan, whose first love is TOS, this is an easy recommendation. The glimpses back in time are well worth it. There’s a lot of love put into this set by all involved.

Mirror Chekov reminds Sulu that Uhura is deadly with her knives

The only thing that saddens me, is that we know other deleted scenes exist, and this taste of them leaves you wanting to see even more. Those other deleted scenes must really be lost at this point, chopped up and sold to folks in the ’70s and ’80s, or worse, tossed in a trashcan by an editor long long ago.

We’re incredibly lucky as fans to have The Roddenberry Vault. It shows us new material from a TV show made 50 years ago, long before the concept of home video — today deleted scenes are purposefully preserved since they make for great bonus content.

Support TrekMovie by ordering The Roddenberry Vault through the link below:

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/13/review-star-trek-the-original-series-the-roddenberry-vault-on-blu-ray/feed/81INTERVIEW: Mike and Denise Okuda Talk “The Roddenberry Vault”https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/12/interview-mike-and-denise-okuda-talk-the-roddenberry-vault/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/12/interview-mike-and-denise-okuda-talk-the-roddenberry-vault/#commentsMon, 12 Dec 2016 15:00:30 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45701On December 13th, fans in the U.S. will finally get to open The Roddenberry Vault. We first heard about it at San Diego Comic-Con in July and have been hungry for details ever since. The three-disc collection offers a look at Star Trek the original series we’ve never seen before, which sounds like rhetoric until you get to see it for yourself. They’ve unearthed a warehouse, literally, of bits and pieces of cutting room floor footage, special effects tests, deleted scenes, omitted dialogue, and alternate takes from the show, then put them together in a series of documentaries, all featuring Star Trek stars and guest stars, behind-the-scenes creatives, and other experts.

The discs were put together by Roger Lay, Jr., and Mike and Denise Okuda, who have spent almost a decade curating and assembling the footage, and somehow managed to keep it a secret. We got to chat with Mike and Denise about the joy of discovery and the process of assembling this incredibly exciting collection of unseen footage; turns out they’re just as excited about it as we are.

Rod Roddenberry, Mike and Denise Okuda inspect archived film

TREKMOVIE: The Vault is such a present for fans, it’s like that thing you’ve wanted since you were ten years old.

DENISE OKUDA: We’re so glad to hear you say that. Roger Lay Jr., Mike and I worked so hard because we are so excited to share this unseen footage with other people that feel about Star Trek like we do.

TM: Well it shows and that feeling comes across so strongly. I can’t say it rekindles my love of Star Trek because it never went away, but it reignited that fire that was always there.

MIKE OKUDA: I’ll say it did rekindle a certain love … when we were seeing the new footage, for example, of “City on the Edge of Forever,” it just reminded me how much I love that episode, and it did make me want to go back and watch it again.

TM: And watching that footage made me realize that Edith Keeler really was his soulmate in a way that none of the other women were.

DENISE: Absolutely. The omitted dialogue, where she falls down the stairs … oh my god! We saw that, and we came off the couch.

TM: It just really re-triggers everything that made you fall in love with it the first time through. You guys did an incredible job with it. Tell me about the moment when you were first told that all of this existed.

DENISE: Well, that’s nine years ago. We got a call from Rod, “Meet me at this warehouse.” So we drove there, we saw him and he said, “You have to sign these.” They were non-disclosures, saying we wouldn’t tell anybody—we didn’t even tell our parents—what we were about to see. So we go in, and we see rows and rows and rows of film canisters. We don’t know what this is. So we open them up, and there’s these individual rolls of different sizes of film. And there were Star Trek original series episodes written on the outside of the cans, and we’re like, “Oh my gosh. Is this really what we believed was out there but we never had any proof that we saw?” And then they showed us a little bit of it and Mike and I, our jaws dropped. It was unimaginable that we were seeing something from the original series that we had never seen before. And then the journey started: cataloging it, and working to put it in a form where we could present it to other people.

TM: So how long did you have to wait between being in that room and seeing all these film cans, and starting to look at it all?

MIKE: It was a process. Off and on, we would get new things to look at, every few weeks. We spent roughly three years cataloging, which was a huge endeavor.

DENISE: I have to say, though, that the folks at CBS, they stepped up to the plate, big time. And it was a huge, huge job. It was seven days a week for a long time.

MIKE: It’s important to remember that when we started, and frankly, for a large portion of the cataloging of footage, we really didn’t know what we had there. The film material wasn’t organized. As a result, we didn’t really know what we were going to be doing with it until we started meeting with Roger, who’s a very accomplished filmmaker. He was the one who had to figure out how we were going to delve into not just the footage, but the process of the episodes, and find things that hadn’t been talked about or shown before.

TM: What was your methodology for cataloging the footage?

DENISE: Very meticulous and tenacious.

When we got a disc, just like when you get a script, you sit down and you just watch it for entertainment, or for, “What’s on this?” And so we would get the disc, we’d put it in, and we’d just sit on the couch and just watch it. For fun, and a couple of times, like I said, we came off the couch because we were so excited. But for the most part, it was like a river: we would just watch it and let it flow through us.

Then we would record each individual segment. We had a very detailed spreadsheet with the in time, the out time, the total time, what set, who was in it, why is it significant … and we did that for many discs. It took, off and on, three years. We’ve got this huge notebook of all of this research—I mean, we treated it like a research project.

And then once we had it all, like Mike said: What do you do with it? So that’s when Roger Lay came in, and we decided that we would present the footage and give it context, in documentaries. And we set out to talk to folks that had actually worked on the original series.

TM: Can you describe a moment when you watched a specific piece of footage and thought “I can’t believe we’re really seeing this!”

DENISE: Oh, there were a few! There’s something that we call ‘a fly on the wall,’ where you’re standing behind the camera, and you’re watching production. And because Mike and I worked on production on the other incarnations of Star Trek, we’ve been there before. But we’ve never been on THOSE sets before. The time in “[The] Trouble with Tribbles,” where Kirk and Spock are standing on the transporter, and the special effects guys come with the tribbles, the ones that have the robotics inside of them and they turn them on and they place them at the feet of the actors … that was wild. That was like being there. But I think one of the things that was really exciting was the Peter Kirk footage at the end of “Operation — Annihilate!” We had seen stills, we knew that it was filmed, but we had no idea it was going to be in this lost footage.

TM: So with all the Trek knowledge that you guys have, what surprised you the most?

MICHAEL: There were several things that were really quite surprising. We were surprised to find compelling evidence that there was an alternate ending to the episode “Who Mourns For Adonais?” where we would have learned that Lt. Carolyn Palamas was pregnant with Apollo’s child. We knew it was written; it was quite a revelation to know that yes, it was filmed.

During one of our interviews, we were lucky enough to get visual effects legend Richard Edlund. You probably know his work through the original incarnation of ILM; he shot the original Star Wars crawl and the Imperial Star Destroyer. But early in his career he worked for a company called The Joseph Westheimer Company, which is one of the major contributors of optical effects to the original series. And it turns out that this visual effects legend was the man who actually hand-lettered the words “Star Trek” for the main title sequence.

TM: As a designer especially, it must have been kind of thrilling.

MICHAEL: For a designer, that was very exciting. As a special effects geek, I was fascinated to see several brief but interesting clips to show how they tested the warp engines spinning effect on the Enterprise model. There were several shots of the model that were never used. To get to see the Enterprise flying differently was just a delight.

TM: That was spectacular to watch. The funny thing about that scene at the end of “Who Mourns For Adonais?” though is that having read the Blish book a hundred times as a kid, I thought I’d actually watched that scene. I remembered what it looked like. I thought I did!

MIKE: That didn’t happen to me there, but there was a scene in “Devil in the Dark” where Denise is like, “Oh my god, oh my god!” And I’m going, “Yeah, okay.” Because I remembered the Blish book as well, and thought I’d seen it. And Denise–

DENISE: And I said, “No no no! We’ve never seen this, this is an omitted scene.” So yeah, occasionally we would hearken onto the Blish books, but it’s one of those things that if we had any doubt, we would go back to the episodes and make sure.

MIKE: Yeah, we kept all the episodes on the computer so we could just skim through them if needed.

DENISE: And the scene itself isn’t really an “oh my god” scene, it’s “oh my god we’ve never seen this before.” When you’re so used to hearing the words from the episode and all of a sudden you’re hearing words you’ve never heard before? THAT’S what’s so exciting, that’s the “oh my god.” And we experienced that by just … maybe there’s just two lines of dialogue, like “City of the Edge of Forever.”. We’ve never heard them before! These were work prints that were supposed to be thrown in the trash, and they were rescued. And now, almost 50 years later, we’re able to see it. What a gift.

MICHAEL: There’s a wonderful moment in “Conscience of the King” where Kirk and Lenore Karidian are walking through the observation deck and they’re sort of putting the moves on each other. And it’s kind of a lovely scene in the original, but there’s additional footage where they continue their banter, and you could see these two people who are intrigued with each other, but they’re also trying to manipulate each other, and it’s sweet and it’s creepy at the same time. And it just adds a layer of complexity onto the episode.

TM: Of all the things that you’ve found, what would you each say is your favorite discovery?

DENISE: Oh, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Probably the omitted dialogue from “City on the Edge of Forever.” It was so sweet, and like you said before that it made you feel like they had truly found their soulmate, it was just very special and so that was very meaningful. But then again, there were other things. The Peter Kirk footage and the “Who Mourns for Adonais?” and the alternate take in “Doomsday Machine!” When Matt Decker is giving that famous speech, “it was there, they’re not anymore,” that’s a different take.

MIKE: It’s a different interpretation.

TM: And Mike, do you feel that those are also your favorites?

MIKE: I think I’m going to have to go with that “City” scene for my favorite as well. I’d certainly give a shout-out to … there’s a fascinating alternate ending to that episode “Return to Tomorrow.” It’s kind of goofy, it’s kind of silly, and you can absolutely see why it was cut because the ending that they did use is so powerful, anything after it is anti-climactic. But it’s kind of sweet and it’s kind of goofy, and it’s a delight to see. I wouldn’t put it back, but I love to see it.

TM: That’s how I felt about a lot of it: “Oh that’s why they cut it!”

DENISE: Yeah. We think of this missing footage and alternate takes as icing on the cake. This is just special stuff, and if you know Star Trek extremely well, you’re going to be delighted and you’re going to know right away. And if you have a passing familiarity with it, then we’re going to give you context. And so hopefully there’ll be something for everybody.

TM: All the interviews on the discs are so compelling. Were you there for those?

DENISE: Yes! Roger Lay, Jr. conducted most of the interviews, Mike conducted some of them, but we were there for most of the interviews.

MIKE: Roger’s a great interviewer, he knows almost all of the behind-the-scenes materials that have been shot before, and he’s fascinated by the filmmaking process, he’s fascinated by the show, so he really tries to get people to talk about things that they haven’t talked about before. [In] the Bill Shatner interview material, he opened up about his process, his feelings when his father died, more than I’ve ever seen him.

DENISE: Yeah, that was an amazing interview. Bill Shatner was so gracious with his time and with his honesty. It blew us away, and we’ve worked with Bill on feature films and have known him for years, in a working capacity, and it really was special.

TM: There were two things that he said that really struck me. One was when he described his acting style of being “in the moment,” which is such a big part of what made Captain Kirk so great. And when he talked about watching the first pilot, which I’d never heard him talk about.

DENISE: We’ve never heard him talk about it either. We were just sitting there, absolutely fascinated, because it was such an honest and giving interview.

TM: So of all the guest stars and behind the scenes people that you got, which did you think turned out to be the most exciting interviews?

MIKE: There were so many. D.C. Fontana gave us a lot of amazing background, and of course it was fun to go on the journey of “The Trouble with Tribbles” with David Gerrold.

I loved talking to Richard Edlund, visual effects genius. And so many cast members, we were just thrilled to talk to them.

DENISE: We spoke to Mike Forest, who played the Greek god Apollo, and Leslie Parrish who played Carolyn Palamas. I have to tell you my favorite, though. My favorite episode is “Metamorphosis,” and we chose “Metamorphosis” as one of the 12 episodes on the disc because we had some really amazing footage and we wanted to use that. And we flew up to northern California and we interviewed 92 year-old Ralph Senensky, the director of that episode. He directed seven other Star Trek episodes including “This Side of Paradise.” And he was amazing! He’s 92 years old and his memory is sharper than mine. He could tell you specific days—“oh yeah, we shot that on a Tuesday,” and “the sun was going down, and it was mostly on a planet…” And then we interviewed Elinor Donahue, who played Nancy Hedford. And she was wonderful. She was just a nice person and opened up and really enjoyed talking to us about that episode. So those two are my favorites.

TM: And then interviewing Leslie Parrish—she’s a fascinating person, she has a very interesting history. Did she talk about any of that? Because she was an activist, and coined a famous anti-war phrase…

DENISE: Yes!

MIKE: We didn’t get to include as much of that kind of material as we wanted to, but yes, she’s a lovely person. We flew up to her home and she gave us an entire afternoon, and just to hear her talking about working with Michael Forest, and her feelings toward the character and toward Apollo … it’s fascinating to see that after all these years, it still made a mark on her.

TM: I think it speaks to the power of the show that for the guest stars who were there for one episode, it’s still such a strong memory after 50 years.

MIKE: And it’s not just her love of that one episode. But she loved the idea of Star Trek and that very much endeared her to us.

DENISE: It’s really interesting: she’s a futurist. And she was a futurist back then, and she was telling us how she was really depressed about the state of our world right now, particularly in the United States, in politics and so forth, and we said, “Well you know what? We hear what you’re saying, however, Star Trek gives us hope and it’s not just the television series. I mean, what other television series has a philosophy that speaks of a common good and a common people and that we should all be kind to each other and we should all be interested and reach out?” And I gotta tell you, when we left the house, she actually thanked us. She said, “You know, I was feeling really depressed, but now, when you talk about Star Trek and you talk about the project that you’re doing, and the people that you’re going to be reaching, it really made me feel better.” And of course that made US feel better.

TM: I think that’s happening to fans, especially after the election, as everybody watches what’s happening next unfold, everybody’s going back to the show, because it does give that sense of hope. If enough people feel this way, the maybe there’s hope.

MIKE: Well you have to remember that back in the 1960s, it was a very unsettling time. And Star Trek’s message of hope, I think helped people realize that yeah, you really should remain optimistic and you really should work for the future. And that message is clearly as important now as it was then.

TM: Agreed. And Clint Howard, you also interviewed? I’d read somewhere that you said he was particularly engaging.

DENISE: (laughs) Yeah, he was great!

MIKE: He was a crack-up.

DENISE: And did you see those photos of him, those home photos that he lent to us to include in The Vault of him in make-up standing on the bridge and having the bald cap put on him by Fred Phillips, aren’t those amazing?

TM: So of course everybody’s asking, and I keep hearing no, but I have to ask too: is there anything else? Anything left that can come out in a different format, somewhere?

MIKE: Well, we used a relatively small fraction of the material, but frankly, we really did use the best. We didn’t say let’s make sure we hold some stuff back, we put the best footage—

DENISE: We wanted to put the best stuff—I mean, there was a lot of stuff that was interesting, but not that interesting. It was almost what you saw in the aired episode, or too short. So what we did is we said, “This is for the 50th anniversary, let’s make this the best we possibly can.” We put all the good stuff in here. So all of us are at peace. We feel good about it, we were excited about it, but I think this is it, I really do. I mean, you never say never to anything, but as far as Mike and Roger and I are concerned, this is it.

TM: Not complaining! Even when you just watch the clip of someone yelling offstage “Left! Right” and the crew leaning to one side and then the other, stuff like that is such a gem for us to see…

MIKE: You know what made us crack up? It was when they talked to the Enterprise computer, and the director or script supervisor off screen would go—

DENISE: “Hum hum click click!”

(laughter)

TM: And there were so many moments when you’d hear someone reading lines off screen to the actors, and it’s like when all of us read “The Making of Star Trek,” and learned so much about not just Star Trek but making TV. I think what you’ve included here teaches you something about making TV, even though it’s old. I know you guys know how to make TV, but did you get a sense of that too?

DENISE: That’s exactly–that’s another aspect of The Roddenberry Vault; it does take you back and it shows you 1960s television, and television production. And we of course love “The Making of Star Trek” as well. It’s just another aspect that hopefully people will enjoy.

TM: Do you think that there’s a place for the bits and pieces that didn’t make it in there, that don’t have context, maybe online? Stuff that fans like you and like us would just love to see?

MIKE: Honestly, we’re just coming off the project. We’re exhausted, and I don’t really want to plan anything like that.

TM: You’ve been working on this for so many years, you signed your NDAs, but how hard was it to keep it a secret this whole time? What was that like?

DENISE: Really hard! Especially when you’re going to conventions and you’re so excited and you just saw something and there’s somebody standing in front of you and you just want to tell them so desperately. But of course, we couldn’t. So it was hard. But we had people to talk to. We had the folks at CBS and we had Roger. Roger and Mike and I would gab about this stuff all the time. So it wasn’t like we were in a vacuum. But it was very nice when we could finally go and tell people. And now that it’s coming out we can really talk to people, so it’s great fun for us.

TM: It must be. It’s everybody’s dream project. Thanks for creating this beautiful piece of work.

DENISE: We’re delighted that you like it and we hope that many other Star Trek fans will also like it.

TM: They will!

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]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/12/interview-mike-and-denise-okuda-talk-the-roddenberry-vault/feed/20Shuttle Pod 27: “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” On Its 25th Anniversaryhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/12/07/shuttle-pod-27-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country-on-its-25th-anniversary/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/07/shuttle-pod-27-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country-on-its-25th-anniversary/#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 23:20:55 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45688This week marks 25 years since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, what would be the last film with the original crew, made its silver screen debut. Today, the Shuttle Pod do a rewatch and take a deep dive into a film that spoke volumes about the state of the world at the time, and perhaps even today.

“For one quarter of a century they have thrilled us with their adventures, amazed us with their discoveries, and inspired us with their courage. Their ship has journeyed beyond imagination. Her name has become legend. Her crew, the finest ever assembled. We have traveled beside them from one corner of the galaxy to the other. They have been our guides, our protectors, and our friends. Now, you are invited to join them for one last adventure. For, at the end of history lies The Undiscovered Country.”

Join the crew of the Shuttle Pod as they take a deep dive into The Undiscovered Country including what it meant at the time and how that message resonates today. Brian and Jared recount key moments of an old favorite, and Kayla rekindles the love for a film she never knew she had.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/07/shuttle-pod-27-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country-on-its-25th-anniversary/feed/24Forgotten Roddenberry: Spectrehttps://trekmovie.com/2016/12/01/forgotten-roddenberry-spectre/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/01/forgotten-roddenberry-spectre/#commentsThu, 01 Dec 2016 20:30:21 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45654Welcome back to our bi-weekly series on Gene Roddenberry’s work between Star Trek incarnations. Last time we looked at the most optimistic post-apocalypse ever filmed, Genesis II. This time we check out Gene’s take on devil worship, Spectre.

I hadn’t seen Spectre yet when I decided to write this series of reviews. From what I had read the film was a straight horror/mystery focusing on the occult. Considering much of this series is going to examine Gene’s attitude toward sexuality and gender roles I was a bit worried about how Spectre would fit into that narrative. So, when the kinky schoolgirl and the dominatrix showed up halfway through the movie I literally let out a fist-pumping “YES!”

By 1977, when Spectre aired, people in the United States were well aware of both personality-based cults and alternative religions. The nation’s youth were exploring everything from Eastern mysticism to pre-Christian European paganism. Such “witchcraft cults” were the subject of horror movies like 1969’s Curse of the Crimson Altar. But it wasn’t until 1981, with the rise of the so-called “Moral Majority” and the publishing of fabricated memoir/case study “Michelle Remembers”, that Satanic Cults in particular and their penchant for rape and human sacrifice became a national obsession. Not even Twisted Sister was safe. So it comes as an interesting little surprise that Gene Roddenberry produced a film on Satanic ritual abuse four years before Christians lost their collective minds over it.

With the help of Samuel A. Peeples, the creative force behind the pilot episodes of both the original Star Trek and it’s animated series, Roddenberry not only headed off the Christian Right, but Chris Carter as well. Spectre, at it’s core, is an X-Files episode with an orgy tacked on to the end. It features the unlikely pairing of Robert Culp as William Sebastian, the always prepared criminologist and occult expert, and Gig Young as Dr. Amos “Ham” Hamilton, the medical doctor man of science. While this is certainly not the first depiction of paranormal investigation put on film – Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which had a very similar premisehad just finished airing two years earlier – it was the first time I can find that a believer and a scientist were paired as a foil for one another. Together William and Ham work to solve the mystery of Cyon House while dodging hell demons, death traps, lizard men, and hordes of sex nymphs.

And sex nymphs there are aplenty. I could almost make the case that Spectre is more of a low-grade sexploitation film with the trappings of a horror/mystery than a horror/mystery with sexual undertones. Gene had already written and produced the sexplotation flick Pretty Maids All in a Row in 1971, so this would have been a genre he was quite familiar with. The film even begins with William being cornered by a sultry succubus pretending to be his latest client, Anitra Cyon. The creature visits while William is trying to convince Ham to come with him to London to investigate her case. In a previous encounter with a demon, William was near fatally wounded by a voodoo doll. There is a wound in his heart, yet no object ever pierced him. Ham is to keep watch over his condition and make sure he doesn’t overexert himself “physically or sexually” lest he succumb to his wound.

The succubus uses all its feminine wiles to convince William that there is no need for him to go to London. All the talk of her brother Geoffrey being possessed was a mistake, and every supernatural goings-on was easily explainable. The interaction brings to mind Jim Kirk and every single woman he’s ever encountered in space. William is having none of it and keeps attempting to get the succubus to touch something religious in nature until he finally thrusts the Book of Tobin into her chest and she begins to painfully vaporize. Ham attempts to enter the room during her death throes, but William pushes him out and locks the door until the succubus is fully extinguished.

Ham, partially out of loyalty but mostly to find out what happened to the hot chick, finally agrees to go to London. They take the Cyon’s private plane which is piloted by the youngest and meekest Cyon sibling, Mitri, played by elephant man and alien incubator John Hurt. William spends the entire plane ride trying to convince Ham that the occult is real, something he could have easily done if he’d just let Ham see the succubus exploding on his library floor. But nay! That would be far too easy for an internationally renowned, fancy-pants criminologist.

There are quite a few opinions about the genesis of the relationship between William and Ham. Like most Roddenberry pairings the duo have good chemistry and their friendship is believable and, at times, down right touching despite their stark differences. Some find parallels in the Spock/McCoy relationship, but I don’t see it. Spock is a blank faced rationalist. William is an overly bright madman with strange ideas about the unseen world. McCoy is a humanitarian and optimist with an righteous moral center. Ham is a drunk with a cynical take on everything. Spock and McCoy also couldn’t exist without Kirk binding them together. Even in his absence he’s all they can talk about. Holmes and Watson are a closer match, but while Holmes was mad, he was also grounded in the material world, and Watson was always more impressed with Holmes than skeptical. William and Ham really are something unique: a pairing not seen again until The X-Files twenty years later, but unfortunately lacking Mulder and Scully’s secret desire to dry-hump one another.

I couldn’t help also feeling that Ham is a stand in for Roddenberry. Gene has inserted himself into his work on a few occasions, including as the boy-genius Wesley Crusher, whose first name is Gene’s middle one. But where Wesley is the Gene of his innocent youth, Ham is adult Gene with all his adult foibles and eccentricities. He’s an addict, a lech with a penchant for high cheekbones, and a skeptic with very little patience for superstition or the supernatural. He’s also insanely lovable in a hapless, middle-aged white guy sort of way. Young even resembles Roddenberry, to a certain extent, in build, stature, and lopsided smile.

On landing in London, William and Ham head for the home of a Dr. Qualus at #3 Merlin’s Muse. Qualus has been working with the Cyon family and observing their bizarre behavioral changes. When they arrive, the place is on fire and Qualus is found dead on the edge of a pentagram drawn on the floor. William collects Qualus’s journal and escapes what appears to be a hell beast scraping at the door when the police arrive.

Merlin’s Muse, voodoo dolls, succubi, lost biblical chapters, pentagrams. It’s only twenty minutes in and you already get the sense that Roddenberry and Peeples are going to try to cram every single esoteric/magical reference they can into this thing. Just wait until we get to the Neolithic stone ring in the backyard. But first, the sex nymphs.

Our heroes finally arrive at the Cyon home meeting both the real Anitra Cyon and her allegedly possessed brother, Geoffrey. Fluttering about the giant, creepy old manor is one scantily clad barely-legal after another, waiting on their every need and providing the occasional peck on the lips. Geoffrey’s other guests include business men from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, constituting the only diversity in the entire film. Together they suggest a kind of Illuminati set to control the world’s markets.

William is immediately smitten with the Cyon art collection and especially with a Boucher painting. Boucher, of course, is the porniest painter of France’s porniest classical art period so it makes total sense in a Satanic den of iniquity.

The real Anitra is not as sultry as her succubus doppelgänger. She refers to herself as matronly. Mitri says she’s boney and old-maidish. The only real difference is some makeup and a blow dry, but that was about all the Venus Drug did to Mudd’s Women and Gene wanted us to think that was a big deal too. Ham, however, thinks she’s hot as she is and repeatedly says so. This is, indeed, the woman he crossed an ocean for.

Geoffrey claims he is nothing more than a rich hedonist and the devil has nothing to do with his orgiastic proclivities. He is merely living out the lifestyle all men want but women like his sister rein in through their puritanical sensibilities. This, in a nutshell, shows the downside of the sexual revolution that characters like Hugh Hefner represent: the normalization of the entitled male banging his fists on the table yelling “it’s me who’s repressed!” as he surrounds himself with women who bend to his every wish. It also lines up with Genesis II’s thesis that sex would never happen unless men initiated it. And if a woman does initiate (as in Lyra-a and the succubus) she must be evil or at least after something. Geoffrey is obsessed with his own satisfaction, but could he even name one part of the female anatomy and tell us its function? Doubtful. Sure he’s the antagonist and this lifestyle will lead to his family’s eventual downfall, but you can’t demonize female objectification with a film brimming with it. At some point the audience is going to suspect it’s really a celebration.

After several mysterious yet milquetoast attempts on William and Ham’s lives including bits of glass in their drinks and an unstable hand rail, the duo settle in to study Dr. Qualus’s journal in their waterbed equipped rooms. Waterbeds, of course, are the ultimate symbol of hedonism and proof that dear Geoffrey Cyon has made a pact with the devil. Qualus’s journal is written in Coptic, which William is fluent in. It tells the tale of Geoffrey’s decent into an archeological dig and the accidental release of Satan’s mightiest demon, Asmodeus, who’s symbol is a big, red “A”. Fortunately for us, Asmodeus corrupts his victims through lust, hence the sex nymphs and waterbeds. It’s all coming together people!

That night Ham awakens next to a topless nymph who buzzes in the aforementioned school girl and dominatrix. They both refer to him as “daddy” and offer him booze and riding crops. William walks in on the scene and the expected stammering awkwardness ensues.

Much of Spectre is very by-the-numbers plot wise. Comedic scenes are juvenile, dangers seem to be placed there because they need to be and not because they actually ratchet up the tension, and the third act twist is visible from the moment the heroes walk into the spooky mansion. Geoffrey is pegged as the villain so early on that there is no possible way he could be the real big bad unless the writers are completely incompetent. The only real scare in the whole film is when William and Ham discover the mini Stonehenge in the Cyon backyard and are suddenly attacked by two large dogs that, because of some shockingly expert cinematography and editing, appear to jump out of the ground. It’s a frustrating moment of competency that makes you wonder why the whole film couldn’t be this good.

After twenty more minutes of mostly inconsequential running about, William and Ham find the entrance to Asmodeus’s tomb. It’s got everything: a sacrificial altar, creepy kid drawings, invisible walls of evil, and a terrified, spread eagle nymph. What a Judæan monster with a Roman letter for its symbol was doing locked up in a pagan tomb 3,000 miles from the Holy Land only Gene and Sam know for sure, rest their souls. But, by Merlin’s Illuminati succubus, I want to believe!

William has a sudden pain in his voodoo wound and Ham rushes him out, grabbing a golden seal on the way and leaving the nymph to her fate. William later melts down part of the seal to cast a golden bullet for an 18th century dueling pistol he’s brought with him. Customs was definitely lax in the 70’s.

With gun and bullet in hand, but inexplicably not yet loaded, William and Ham return to the underground liar. As William loads the gun he drops the bullet behind a distinctly un-Neolithic looking hinged door. When they push the door away to look for the bullet they discover… dum dum dum… Mitri’s mummified body! Apparently Mitri has been dead the whole time and Asmodeus has been using his form and not Geoffrey’s despite Qualus’s journal directly saying otherwise.

Suddenly, a Satanic orgy/sacrifice parades itself in with Anitra as the guest of honor. All the Illuminati business men are there cavorting with the sex nymphs whose bosoms are now shaking free from their loose bindings (at least in the extended Euro cut). It’s like Manos, The Hands of Fate meets Eyes Wide Shut but with little people because why not? Mitri, showing his true form, demands that Geoffrey rape and murder their sister, but Geoffrey, out of love, breaks the demonic spell and refuses. The job then falls to William, who’s voodoo doll is in Mitri’s possession. William, seemingly under the command of Mitri, moves to kill Anitra with Geoffrey begging him to snap out of it. And out of it he does snap because that’s what heroes do. He clasps the golden seal together and hurls it into the fire at Mitri’s feet turning him into the Gorn. No, not the actual Wah Chang Gorn. That would have been cool. This is some other toothy lizard man with big, blank, white eyes.

William fires his golden bullet at the Lizardman/Mitri/Asmodeus causing the ancient crypt to start caving in and the heads of an entire UNESCO subcommittee to spontaneously explode. The heroes escape with Anitra in tow. Asmodeus never quite falls down dead, but rather disappears into the depths of the crypt as the fire grows around him, leaving room for another appearance down the road. After all, this was supposed to be the pilot episode for a series. You can’t expect to defeat Satan’s right-hand man on you first day at work.

This is basically confirmed when Anitra hand delivers William’s payment at his state-side office: the Boucher painting he admired so much on first arriving at the Cyon house. And right on the painting, below the reclining nude is the mark of Asmodeus. Ham and Anitra leave William to admire his new acquisition and to finally consummate the tension that had been growing between them throughout the film. But they don’t leave for a walk on the town or a nice dinner. They head straight for William’s library to bone because that’s the kind of comfort a woman who just lost her entire family wants. William even tells Ham which book to hit her with in case she’s another succubus.

I think it’s pretty apparent by now that this is not one of my favorite post-Star Trek Roddenberry projects. Except for the great chemistry of the protagonists and the Benny Hill style eroticism, there’s nothing much here to tell us this is a Roddenberry production. There’s no multiculturalism, no optimism, and no humanism. In fact, you get quite the opposite. The cast is all white, the world is full of hidden evils you can never fully defeat, and, worst of all, the supernatural exists.

That last quality was the one Gene apparently wanted most for the burgeoning series: the magic would be real. Ghosts would be ghosts, monsters would be from hell, and nothing would turn out to be a Scooby Doo style rubber mask. This flies in the face of Roddenberry’s most fundamental conviction that ours is not a demon haunted world. Again and again, Roddenberry the skeptic produced stories that tore apart religion and revealed idols like Apollo and the gods of the Edo and V’ger to be false. Spectre seems to turn that philosophy on its ear.

Not to say that an atheist can’t write a ghost story, but when atheism is one of your core personal and professional tenets it just seems odd to create a show that not just perpetuates magical thinking but reenforces the dogma of religious fundamentalists. By ignorantly mishmashing several disparate cultures into the modern idea of Satanism, Spectre plays out like a Chick Tract.

And while I enjoyed TheX-Files a lot, I also realize how much it reenforced our culture’s supermarket tabloid science denial. After all, the X-File era gave birth to mainstream interest in fringe ideas like alien abductions, Area 51, and the moon landing hoax. It also played into our still growing fears of the kind of government and medical conspiracies that leave millions of kids unvaccinated and many cities’ water supplies unfluoridated. Remember when Jonathan Frakes tried to sell you a dissected alien body? That was pedaled on FOX as a documentary. Sometimes TheX-Files would take the stuff it spawned in the real world and incorporate it back into itself like two snakes eating each other’s tails. It was hard to know who was feeding who. I’m not saying The X-Files made us gullible or that Spectre caused the very real and damaging Satanic cult witch-hunt of the 80’s and 90’s, but certainly neither of them helped.

In the end, Chris Carter is a guy who’s looking for the right evidence so he can believe. Gene Roddenberry was a militant humanist who was patted on the back for twenty-six pages in a magazine of the same name for making the world safe for evidence-based reason through film and television. To me, Spectre is a bit of a black spot on that record.

Random thoughts and observations:

• Majel Barrett has her best non-Star Trek cameo in this film. She plays William’s enigmatic assistant who dabbles in magical potions. Her few commanding minutes on screen kind of make me wish she’d gone to London instead of Ham.

• Speaking of Majel and Ham, her character cures Ham of his alcoholism on his arrival to William’s home with a hair trimming and some hoodoo. Ham immediately gets sick with even the smallest sip of booze. It’s one of the few legitimately funny moments in the film, but I can’t help thinking it robbed Ham of an interesting flaw that could have added some level of chaos to the very formulaic plot.

• Ham carries a Star of David and his first name is Jewish, but his last name is not, suggesting he’s the product of an interfaith marriage.

• William carries a very ornate and ancient crucifix with him on their first visit to the crypt. He hides it in a crack in the sacrificial alter before leaving but it never shows up again. If it had any effect on the climax I didn’t notice.

• A year after Spectre was rejected, Sam Peeples became story editor for the live-action Filmation show, Jason of Star Command. It co-starred James Doohan and reused much of the canned music and sound effects from Star Trek: The Animated Series.

• I can’t help wondering why Gene didn’t call up horror writer Robert Bloch (“What Are Little Girls Made Of”, “Wolf in the Fold”) to help with this instead of Peeples. As a Lovecraft fanatic, a murder cult story would have been right up his alley.

• Spectre’s opening title font is Libra Regular written in all lowercase. Don’t you feel better knowing that?

Next up: The Questor Tapes

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/12/01/forgotten-roddenberry-spectre/feed/53Gene Roddenberry’s Abandoned Star Trek II Film Concepthttps://trekmovie.com/2016/11/28/gene-roddenberrys-abandoned-star-trek-ii-film-concept/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/28/gene-roddenberrys-abandoned-star-trek-ii-film-concept/#commentsMon, 28 Nov 2016 16:00:45 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=43591After the success of Star Trek: The Motion Picture at the box office, Gene Roddenberry immediately got to work on a sequel. Little did he know that Paramount was in the process of sidelining him into a consulting producer role and his story for Star Trek II would never be made. However, we have details of his concept and it just may surprise you. Kirk meets JFK? Spock is the man on the grassy knoll?

Gene Roddenberry put together a sixty-page treatment for a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the Spring of 1980, according to The 50 Year Mission by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. Despite TMP making $139 million worldwide, with $82.2 of its gross being made domestically, Roddenberry was stung by criticism of his first outing on the silver screen.

Roddenberry’s Idea for Star Trek II

Roddenberry decided to write a sequel that got back to the elements that had made Star Trek so popular: the Klingons, time travel, the Guardian of Forever, and Sarek and Amanda. In the story, the Enterprise returns to Earth to find bodies floating in space. They eventually discover that history has been changed by the Klingons and the Federation no longer exists. As to why the Enterprise still exists when the Federation does not, well the answer is that anyone traveling at warp speed when the change in the timeline occurred is immune.

With the Federation never having existed, Earth is populated with a savage race of protohumans. The crew learns that the Klingons used the Guardian of Forever to go back in time and change history. When more Klingons arrive at Earth, the Enterprise hides behind the moon to evade detection.

In San Francisco near the site of what would have been Starfleet Headquarters, Amanda is brutally raped by the Klingons and Sarek sacrifices his life to save Kirk and Spock. The crew returns to the planet where the Guardian is located to go back in time and reverse the damage that the Klingons had done.

When a Klingon ship attempts to block a much larger Guardian portal, the Enterprise crashes through the Guardian and ends up crashing in Canada in the 1960s. A U-2 spy plane mistakes the crashed Enterprise for an alien spacecraft, which causes U.S. President John F. Kennedy to cancel his trip to Dallas in November 1963. This prevents JFK from being assassinated, thus altering the timeline.

Realizing that they were the ones who altered the timeline, Captain Kirk visits JFK in the Oval Office. However, Kirk is not forced to ask the President to sacrifice himself to correct the timeline. Instead, the crew repair the timeline (mysteriously) that the Klingons disrupted and return to the 23rd century. To their surprise, Dr. McCoy returns to a wife due to the changes the Enterprise crew had made in the past.

Further Revisions

Eddie Egan, the unit publicist on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, stated that there was a revision that made the events of Roddenberry’s Star Trek II similar to the classic Original Series episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.” In order for history to be restored, Kennedy had to die. In this version, Spock appeared behind a fence and fired the fatal gunshot that assassinated JFK. This proposal reportedly horrified Paramount.

Fans even began a letter-writing campaign based on rumors that Spock would be the shooter on the grassy knoll. These angry letters basically said “if Spock is the shooter on he grassy knoll, I will never watch again.”

Paramount Grows Tired of Gene

Roddenberry was promoted by Paramount in the early 1980s to the role of Executive Consultant, essentially cutting him out of creative input in the Star Trek film franchise. According to long-time assistant Susan Sackett, Paramount was looking for a scapegoat for their failure to hold back costs in the production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and they wanted anyone else but Roddenberry. TMP had run $10 million over budget, which Sackett contends was Paramount’s fault. Sackett, for her part, felt that Gene’s JFK story was “damn good,” and she does not know why they never did it.

The Wrath of Paramount

As a result of TMP’s budgetary issues, Paramount Pictures turned to Harve Bennett, the head of Paramount’s television division, in 1980 to produce the sequel to TMP. Bennett and Roddenberry reportedly clashed intensely during the production of The Wrath of Khan, even to the point where Bennett had Roddenberry thrown off the set after a particularly bitter dispute one day.

For this story, and many others from the history of making Star Trek, check out Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross’s two-volume history, “The Fifty Year Mission.”

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/28/gene-roddenberrys-abandoned-star-trek-ii-film-concept/feed/89WATCH: Star Trek Stars Celebrate National Aircraft Carrier Monthhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/11/20/watch-star-trek-stars-celebrate-national-aircraft-carrier-month/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/20/watch-star-trek-stars-celebrate-national-aircraft-carrier-month/#commentsMon, 21 Nov 2016 00:13:15 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45540From rank titles to Starfleet operations to ships named Enterprise, Star Trek has been heavily inspired by Naval traditions. In celebration of this November as National Aircraft Carrier Month, we gathered together some of Trek’s finest in a tribute to the US Navy and the men and women who serve and to make sure that history never forgets the name Enterprise.

With a new real life aircraft carrier named USS Enterprise and a new Star Trek television series both in the pipeline, Trek and the Navy are both continuing its celebration of Naval traditions and visions for the future. What better time than now, during National Aircraft Carrier Month, to reflect on the role the Navy and its traditions have had on our favorite franchise.

Rod Roddenberry (son of Gene Roddenberry and Executive Producer of Star Trek: Discovery), Ronald D. Moore (writer/director The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine), Tim Russ (Tuvok from Voyager), and Scott Bakula (Captain Archer of the Enterprise NX-01 in Star Trek: Enterprise) each gave their unique perspectives on how the Navy has shaped Star Trek and the hope that one day, maybe one day soon, we will break our Earthly bonds and expand our exploration into the solar system and beyond.

History will never forget the name Enterprise
Stretching all the way back to 1775, before the United States was even a country, there have been eight US Naval ships named Enterprise. The ninth, the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80), was announced in 2012 and is scheduled to start its oceanic voyage in 2025.

The British Navy had ships named HMS Enterprise as early as 1705, which can be seen in the opening credits of Star Trek: Enterprise.

The name itself has a long and storied tradition, but other naval cues have found their way into Trek lore. Other Starfleet ships (and space stations) have been named for naval vessels as recently as Star Trek Beyond‘s Starbase Yorktown. And, of course, the structure of Starfleet, right down to rank titles and procedures, are based on those of the United States Navy.

The Battlestar Galactica reboot, which was created writer/producer Trek vet Ronald D. Moore, looked to naval aviation in great detail to model the flight and operations of the show’s Viper spacecraft.

The fictional USS Discovery, scheduled to make its on screen debut in May of 2017 in Star Trek: Discovery, has namesakes in both the British and Canadian Navies and will no doubt continue to celebrate Star Trek’s naval heritage.

On this November 2016, we at TrekMovie want to wish the US Navy and the men and women who serve this country a very happy National Aircraft Carrier Month. Live long and prosper.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/20/watch-star-trek-stars-celebrate-national-aircraft-carrier-month/feed/56Forgotten Roddenberry: Genesis IIhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/11/17/forgotten-roddenberry-genesis-ii/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/17/forgotten-roddenberry-genesis-ii/#commentsThu, 17 Nov 2016 19:00:19 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=45506So little has been written about Gene Roddenberry’s work outside of Star Trek, and yet the guy produced a movie and four television pilots in the ten short years between the original Star Trek and The Motion Picture. On this, the fiftieth anniversary of his most renowned creation, it’s time to reconnect with Roddenberry’s lost productions and see how they laid down the blueprint for Star Trek’s Next Generation.

Starting us off is Roddenberry’s first attempt at a TV show after Star Trek, 1973’s Genesis II which, despite the odd roman numeral at the end, is not a sequel to anything previously produced. Apparently the pilot film did extremely well, ratings-wise, and was green-lit with several story outlines ready to be filmed. Unfortunately, CBS decided Genesis II allowed is not and went with a Planet of the Apes show instead. I find the pilot’s reported popularity very interesting because it’s not particularly great. The opening is a mixed up jumble of scenes and narration, some of the concepts are downright laughable, and the hero flip flops so often between allegiances it can be hard to keep up. To be really frank, nothing Roddenberry produced outside of Star Trek was flat out amazing, but it’s all still worth watching because they have a very Roddenberry quality about them that’s both familiar and comforting no matter how goofy things get.

Genesis II is the story of contemporary NASA scientist Dylan Hunt, here played by Alex Cord, getting trapped inside his own suspended animation experiment for 160 years. If the name Dylan Hunt sounds familiar to you it’s because it was later used for Kevin Sorbo’s character in the 2000 series Andromeda.

Hunt sleeps in his stasis chamber until the year 2133. The earth, at this point, has experienced a massive nuclear war and is only now starting to rebuild. Hunt is accidentally woken up by a group of underground dwellers called the PAX. They are amazed to find what they believed to be a dead body still barely breathing. Like Spock telling McCoy how to replace his own brain, a half-conscious Hunt attempts to tell the PAX, through barely audible grunts, how to revive him; however, the PAX have no knowledge of medicine and can’t comply.

Fortunately one of the biological concepts that makes the xenon gas-based hibernation work is – I’m not making this up – the “need to reproduce”. Hunt grabs the shoulder of a leggy blonde PAX, played by Mariette Hartley (Zarabeth from “All Our Yesterdays”), begs her to make him “want to live”, and he soon recovers. Yes, folks, Dylan Hunt survives because he’s horny.

Hunt himself is a fury chested, mustachioed sex god, the like of which can be seen in the previous year’s Deep Throat and Roddenberry’s own 1971 film Pretty Maids all In a Row. He’s the very embodiment of a man willing to screw a brave new world into submission. It’s no secret that Gene’s expression of sexuality had all the poignance and complexity of kid peaking at his dad’s Playboys. It’s splatted all over his 70’s and 80’s work including Lt. Illia’s bizarre vow of chastity in The Motion Picture, and the various sex-comedy tweaks Gene made to first season Next Generation episodes like “Justice” and “The Naked Now”.

Because of this it should come as no shock that Hartley’s Lyra-a drops her robe the moment she’s alone with Hunt revealing her twin belly buttons of doom. The legend Roddenberry created around this aesthetic decision was that NBC wouldn’t allow him to show Hartley’s single navel on Star Trek. So when he got his chance he stuck two on her Genesis II character. This, of course, seems like nonsense considering there were many, many, many, many belly buttons on Star Trek. Many. Hartley, herself, can’t remember the incident, so I’d chalk it up to Gene creating another fantasy about his war with the censors.

Like the crew of the Enterprise, the PAX leadership, headed by Percy “Commodore Stone” Rodriguez, is a rainbow coalition of ethnicities and accents. Roddenberry’s belief in a future of racial harmony and cooperation was definitely a legitimate and heartfelt one. It’s a shame, then, that the PAX’s first issue of business is discussing whether Lyra-a can be trusted due to her being a half-breed cross between a PAX mother and a mutant from the city of Tyrania (as in “tyranny”, get it?). There’s an actual genetically reductive discussion about how her twin-naveled evil might override her human purity. “An oath means nothing to a mutant!” exclaims the Greek one. ”Her people practice deceit as a virtue!” says the Asian one.

Later on Ted Cassidy’s character, who’s violent stoicism is an obvious prototype of Lt. Worf, will be referred to as a “White Comanche” who’s very heritage makes him an “ideal warrior”. That description may work ok for you when applied to a bumpy-headed alien, but when it’s pointed at a white guy with a head band playing a Native American it just seems icky. These are some embarrassingly mixed messages from the guy whose more ardent fans consider him the most racially progressive writer to ever grace Hollywood. Gene, no doubt didn’t mean to be so tone deaf and, for me at least, his dedication to racial harmony is nothing but sincere. But if you’re going to talk about a man’s vision you’re going to have to eventually bring up his myopia.

Worst of all, Lyra-a really is an evil, mutant temptress in the same vein of many female antagonists in the Original Series. She convinces Hunt, almost solely with the power of her bare midriff, that the PAX are the villains and that he needs escape with her to the mutant’s city. Much of the discussion of Lyra-a is similar to that of Spock’s dual genetic/cultural nature, but with a lot less nuance. Her mutant side apparently drives her to trick and seduce Hunt into helping her people, but her human half just wants the love, strange love, a well-groomed NASA mustache teaches. It’s all the pain and frustration of a mixed race individual condensed into a good girl/bad girl trope.

What really sets Hunt against the PAX, however, isn’t Lyra-a’s arguments but the fact that the PAX have abandoned all their “animal lust” which they blame for the war that leveled the planet. Their civility stems from their gender egalitarian nature where men and women dress the same, talk the same, and do the same work. All this equality somehow precludes serious boning. This, unfortunately, is a common misconception that still exists today – women are sexless by nature and only through the prowess of a man will there ever be physical love. By extension, a society in which the sexes are equally respected will be bland and passionless as the male libido will be automatically repressed. So when Hunt can’t seduce his pure PAX caretaker he immediately makes a run for the mutant city of Tyrania. Again, the plot literally revolves around Hunt’s fickle pickle.

To his credit, Roddenberry, with the help of master designer William Ware Theiss, was as interested in sexually objectifying men as he was women. While the PAX have their sexless,brown jumpsuits, everyone in Tyrania, including Dylan Hunt, struts around in barely-there togas that would make Zardoz blush. While the original Star Trek’s miniskirts and overly revealing dresses are impossible to defend, it should be acknowledged that William Shatner’s clean shaven chest was on display as often as could be rationalized. This attitude would continue into Next Generation where both the guys and the gals wore short skirts and skin tight spandex. It’s interesting to note that in Next Gen’s third season, as Gene’s influence waned, the skants disappeared, the alien costumes became more conservative, and only the women continued to wear tight uniforms.

After a few happy days lounging in retro-futurist Roman splendor getting his mustache trimmed and being hand fed by white-clad nymphs, Hunt starts to realize Tyrania is not all it’s cracked up to be. There is a rigid caste system and institutionalized slavery is rampant. When Hunt refuses to fix the Tyranian’s aging nuclear plant one of their luxuriously coiffed leaders attacks him with a sadomasochistic weapon called “the stim” which is capable of delivering pleasure as well as pain (again, shades of Spock’s Brain). He’s rescued by undercover PAX agents who are there to foster a slave revolt. Hunt agrees to help them, makes a magic weapon-sensing device, gets captured and freed again, and finally convinces the slaves to rise up and flee.

In the end Hunt tricks Lyra-a into expressing love for him by claiming his “weapon detector” is actually a “truth detector”. Because he sees her feelings are real and “human” he finally agrees to abandon his new PAX friends in order to fix the Tyranian nuclear reactor. Days go by and the PAX consider Hunt dead until he shows up at their base asking if they saw the nuclear blast he set off. Apparently, in one last act of deceit, the Tyranias actually wanted him to fix a left over nuclear warhead that was aimed at the PAX. Several technicians were killed in the blast, much to the disapproval of the PAX leadership who abhor the violence of the olden days.

Pacifism is another of Roddenberry’s core beliefs and it’s the only one that is completely immune to criticism and cynicism. When Hunt insists he did what he had to to save their bacon the PAX tell him they are all willing to give their lives before taking the lives of others no matter what the reason. The discussion is ended when the nuclear shock wave finally hits the PAX base, blowing everyone over and terrifying a group of children. The sight of the PAX children huddling in fear of what Hunt has done convinces him to only reconstitute the best achievements of his time and abandon the violence of the past for this new way of peaceful coexistence.

This is a really well earned and completely earnest moment as well as a very interesting turn for a Roddenberry hero. Kirk and Picard are civilized men who almost always have answers to the big questions. Their pontifications on humanity are legendary. Hunt is a different breed. He is the kind of savage who destroyed this world. Despite all his advanced technical knowledge it is he who will need to be civilized.

Almost all pilots are sloppy affairs. They need to create new characters, worlds, and antagonisms and often, as is the case with Genesis II, in only one hour. This final moment tells me the show, no matter how flawed, would have had real potential to do something different: teach the world Roddenberry’s utopian views by learning with the lead character instead of by being preached to by him. That’s a show I’d happily watch the crap out of.

Of course, Hunt ruins the entire mood in the closing shot by trapping a PAX woman in an elevator and making a really gross pass at her with the line “I bet you have a great pancreas”. Nice one, Gene.

Here’s some of my stray, uncategorized thoughts and observations:

• Majel Barrett is part of the PAX leadership. She doesn’t do much, but it’s great to see her.

• “Women’s Country” is alluded to. This will come up again in the second pilot attempt for this series, Planet Earth.

• The hyperloop style “subshuttle” that can take characters across the world in minutes is a very cool effect that must have cost a lot of the budget. You can be sure stock footage of it would have been used the same way the Enterprise was in future episodes.

• The PAX have no knowledge of medicine or medical equipment. Intravenous needles are alien to them. Percy Rodriguez is utterly shocked that Hunt wants them to “inject an alien substance into his body”. Yet their only hand weapon is a hypodermic needle that delivers a knock-out drug. This is an inconsistency that would have become harder to explain in a long running series.

• It’s also odd that the PAX are so unwilling to take a single life to protect themselves, yet they’re ok with unleashing thousands of armed, blood-thirsty slaves on the Tyranians.

• The show’s opening title font is Rude Extra Condensed Black if you’re the kind of person who cares about such things.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/11/17/forgotten-roddenberry-genesis-ii/feed/90Husband-Wife Team Erdmann and Block Reflect on Star Trek Costumes Bookhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/09/16/husband-wife-team-erdmann-and-block-reflect-on-star-trek-costumes-book/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/16/husband-wife-team-erdmann-and-block-reflect-on-star-trek-costumes-book/#commentsFri, 16 Sep 2016 14:00:42 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=43436Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann have been involved with Star Trek from its earliest days, so it was only fitting the married pair would be tabbed to produce Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier. Read on for our interview with the couple.

Vacations are meant for relaxation; it is the entire purpose behind taking them. Each year, Paula M. Block and her husband, Terry J. Erdmann, travel south to visit Los Angeles, the city they thrived in for decades before relocating to the calmer environment of Oregon. Erdmann explains with a chuckle that he needs his “yearly fix”. However, in 2014, their usual one-week trip to the City of Angels turned into a much longer stay after an unusual conversation with CBS Consumer Products Vice President, John Van Citters.

“He wondered if we would like to turn our vacation into an assignment,” Block explained.

The couple’s collies Shadow and Mandy relax

What turned the intended vacation into a business trip was CBS licensee Insight Editions decision to publish Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier. So, Block, Erdmann and their two collies, Shadow and Mandy, took a side trip to the CBS archives in Southern California, where the dogs snoozed unfazed near life-size replicas of a Gorn and the Salt Vampire, as their humans pulled images for inclusion in their latest publication on Gene Roddenberry’s universe.

“We could have truthfully spent a lot more time,” Block explained. “We spent the month going through all of the photography files CBS Consumer Products has on Star Trek. It was very familiar territory for me as I had helped set up the library about 15 years ago.”

Ten years ago, it was possible that this book would never have been made at all. 2006 was the year Christie’s Auctions, at the behest of Paramount Pictures and CBS, co-owners of the Star Trek franchise, sold pieces of the pop-culture phenomenon’s history, raising over $7 million. It would be the last time that the physical remnants of the entire history of Gene Roddenberry’s vision would be gathered together in one place.

“The studios sold off most everything,” Erdmann discussed. “Now, if you want to see an original model or costume a character wore, you have to go find it on your own. CBS still retains a few of the costumes that had been out on tour around the world, or on display at the Star Trek Experience when the auction took place.”

Fortunately, with the publication of Star Trek Costumes, while the collection is no longer physically in one location, fans can enjoy many of the costumes all in this one place. Yet their book is more than just a historical chronology of what was worn in the 23rd century and beyond, but an account from the first days with legendary designer William Ware Theiss at the couturial helm, to Robert Fletcher, Robert Blackman and others.

“In a sense, working on Star Trek Costumes was very similar our work on the Deep Space Nine Companion, in that they both were chronological in structure,” Block explained. “The Costume Book is a historical document, and the logical thing to do was write it in a chronological order.”

Sadly, as the Star Trek franchise ages, so do the people responsible for its creation. Theiss passed away in 1992, and Fletcher had long since retired, so Block and Erdmann had to track down previous interviews with those designers. However, they were able to interview Blackman, who also wrote the book’s introduction, as well as a number of actors who wore the costumes onscreen, and writers/producers who first envisioned characters in need of futuristic attire.

“It occurred to us not just to have wardrobe people,” Erdmann explained. “We had really wonderful interviews with Jonathan Frakes, Michael Forrest, LeVar Burton and Ronald D. Moore. We feel it’s not just us writing a book, but also relating stories that need to be shared.”

“We even asked Jonathan about how it felt to wear the “boy-toy” costume (from TNG’s first season episode ‘Angel One’),” Block added. “He remembered that real well.”

“Our jobs weren’t just stating the history, but adding those personal impressions. We’ve both been around long enough to have experienced all these shows first hand, so we wanted to make it more than just a history lesson.”

“I always think our job is to write an educational product, like a textbook,” Erdmann continued. “Make it really entertaining if possible, but also educational. Give it an historical value; make it a ‘how to’ for some young person who reads it. This book can give them a hint on how to make costumes, become a seamstress, or break into film and TV.”

While people like Frakes, Moore, and even J.J. Abrams, were just a phone call away, the person Erdmann refers to as one of the best researchers ever, his wife, had to dig into the depths of her memory and utilize all her skills to locate words that have not been reprinted over and over again from Theiss and Fletcher, which is no easy feat in the former’s case, as Theiss was notorious for not granting interviews.

However, Block recalled a fanzine from when The Original Series was on the air that featured a two-part interview with Theiss, conducted by none other than writer Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana. Block was able to track down a copy. Unearthing a nearly 50-year old fanzine guarantees that most fans have never read these quotes from Theiss, which is among one of the rare finds included in Star Trek Costumes (one interesting note Theiss stated was that Kirk’s familiar “gold” command tunic was actually more of a green color; it appeared gold on screen due to the lighting and type of film used).

Publisher Insight Editions assigned a professional photographer to shoot the items in CBS’s archives, as well as some that are now in the collection of private owners who had bought them from various auctions. There were only so many pages available for the married couple to utilize. In fact, Insight Editions added about 20 pages to the book in order to give Block and Erdmann a bit more space.

Five decades of costumes — through 13 films, 5 television shows, and 10 different costume designers, including Theiss twice (for TOS and the first year of TNG), Blackman for 16 years (from TNG’s third season through Enterprise), as well as Fletcher on the TOS-era films (The Motion Picture to The Voyage Home) and Michael Kaplan on the Abrams’ movies, meant there was a lot for the duo to sift through, including designer sketches.

For two who have been associated in one role or another with the franchise for much of its 50-year existence, they still managed to stumble onto some surprises in the making of Star Trek Costumes, including Maggie Schpak, the designer who has created most of the jeweled ornamentation for the costumes since the TOS films. Along the way, they found a new appreciation for some of the franchise’s more interesting costumes.

“I had never really looked closely at Khan’s leather jacket,” Erdmann revealed, “the one Ricardo Montalban wore in the second movie, until we got the detailed photographs of the costume. We include a full page of the back of that jacket. They made it look like it was put together with odd remnants Khan would have salvaged. It is so beautiful — I would like to own that. That is my favorite piece of wardrobe.”

Anecdotes included are Frakes’ uncomfortable memories of the aforementioned “boy-toy” costume, as well as Blackman’s frank answer regarding his then newly-designed Star Trek: Generations costumes, Forrest in his Apollo tunic having to cover his nipples to assuage the censors, uniform collars that appeared to change from one episode to the next, as well as the harshness of dry cleaning on the uniforms after each day’s shooting, and more. Plus, Block and Erdmann examine some of the more fascinating costumes worn over the years, including Leslie Parrish’s Lt. Carolyn Palamas’ pink dress in “Who Mourns for Adonis?”, Famke Janssens’ Kamala attire from “The Perfect Mate”, and an inspection of Worf and Dax’s wedding garments.

“We tried to include a little bit of everything that went on,” Block said. “Unfortunately, photography-wise, we were limited at what we could use. Christie’s was kind enough to let us use photos they had from the auction, and we got permission from the auction house that sold William Ware Theiss’ collection.”

“We wanted to use a lot of artwork that the designers created,” Erdmann continued, “so we’ve got conceptual sketches, as many as we could find. We found out there still are some designs hidden in museum and library basements, like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but they either can’t get to them or don’t know exactly where they are located.”

One special section that Erdmann ensured be included is on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in which he had served as unit publicist. The author is proud of his own research work and tenacity to uncover exclusive photos, like a full-page picture of the Cat Dancer provided by ST:V makeup designer Kenny Myers.

“I think it’s really important that each one of the designers, as the franchise goes on, as they pass away, retire, or are newly hired, that each has respected what the previous designers had done,” Erdmann observed. “There is an evolution from 1966, the 23rd century to where they are going, and you know the next new show is going to respect that. I’m impressed how much people don’t just put their own egos into what they are creating.”

From mad genius Bill Theiss’s self-referential “Theiss Titillation Theory” to Fletcher’s so-called “Monster Maroon” Starfleet uniform, it’s all in Star Trek Costumes for fans to enjoy for the first time, and over and over again. Just don’t wake up Shadow and Mandy, who are unimpressed by the full-sized Ferengi mannequin on display in CBS’s Star Trek Consumer Products office.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/16/husband-wife-team-erdmann-and-block-reflect-on-star-trek-costumes-book/feed/8Happy 50th anniversary – The Man Traphttps://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/happy-50th-anniversary-the-man-trap/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/happy-50th-anniversary-the-man-trap/#commentsThu, 08 Sep 2016 22:30:18 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=43362Star Trek turns 50 years old this week, in the USA the first episode, “The Man Trap” aired today, September 8, at 8:30PM in 1966. Our friends to north in Canada got to see “The Man Trap” two days earlier on September 6.

“The Man Trap” was part of the first batch of finished episodes which also included: “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, “The Corbomite Maneuver”, “Charlie X”, “The Naked Time”, and “Mudd’s Women”. Read on for some trivia about the first ever Star Trek episode to air.

“The Man Trap” was ultimately chosen as the first episode to air because of the interesting plot device of the shapeshifting creature, it offered a monster-of-the-week, a familiar idea from The Outer Limits and Lost in Space, and of course, demonstrated the central idea of exploring a strange new world.

The strange ancient ruins on Planet M113

The first group of episodes all have a bit of a different feel to them, thanks in part to many of the production crew coming from more moody black and white productions.

Filming The Man Trap

“The Man Trap” is a rather unique episode:

• It is one of a small handful of episodes that have a captain’s log entry narration done in hindsight, rather than as it happens (“Court Martial” is another first season episode to use this technique).

“Captain’s log, additional entry. Since our mission was routine, we had beamed down to the planet without suspicion. We were totally unaware that each member of the landing party was seeing a different woman, a different Nancy Crater.”

• This episode features a never used again stun sound effect, almost like a ricochet of a bullet, and an accompanying brief voice slow down to demonstrate the stun effect.

• The first few episodes produced originally had an electric violin version of the opening theme, which has mostly been forgotten. Since being packaged for syndication, and subsequently in nearly every home video release, the standard Season 1 theme has been used.

The episode is of course most famous for the “Salt Vampire” (officially called the “M113 Creature”), which has had a lasting impact on Trek fans and pop culture in general.

A newer take on the M113 creature was made for J.J. Abram’s Star Trek (2009) but it ended up on the cutting room floor.

TrekMovie’s John Duchak will be live tweeting “The Man Trap” tonight at 5:30PM PDT/8:30PM EDT

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/happy-50th-anniversary-the-man-trap/feed/4350 Star Trek Moments That Still Make Us Raise An Eyebrowhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/50-star-trek-moments-that-still-make-us-raise-an-eyebrow/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/50-star-trek-moments-that-still-make-us-raise-an-eyebrow/#commentsThu, 08 Sep 2016 13:00:44 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=43215At this point, we’ve all been lured at one or another by the clickbait headline that says something like: “10 things you never knew about Star Trek!” If you’re a Star Trek fan or have just spent any time on the Internet, you’ve pretty much heard every story there is to hear and seen every meme.

But with almost 1,000 hours of canonical material, there is probably something about the phenomenon’s storied history you haven’t heard, or at least haven’t realized. Here are 50 of them, one for each year of the franchise, to help celebrate its birthday today.

1. First thing Picard does … is surrender

When “Encounter at Farpoint” hit the airwaves in 1987, it was a bold decision to replace the iconic American hero James T. Kirk with a British actor playing a French captain. And proving that the accusation of “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” will last well into the 24th Century, the first order our French captain gives … is to surrender.

Sacrebleu!

2. Jonathan Frakes became a good director because he was a bad actor

As a young actor on the early days on TNG, Jonathan Frakes is extremely good at being tall, handsome, and charming. Apparently that’s about the extent of his range though as he confessed to Whoopi Goldberg a few years ago that the reason he moved behind the camera is because “I wasn’t that good an actor.”

And honestly, his contributions behind the camera may be more valuable than anything he did in front of it.

3. William Shatner was not the 1st choice to play Kirk

Although both he and his bombastic performance style are now synonymous with Capt. James Tiberius Kirk, William Shatner was not the first choice to play him. Jack Lord was first approached and turned the role down. Lloyd Bridges was almost cast as the first Enterprise captain, Chris Pike. Bad for them, but good decision for fans (both men died in 1998).

Shatner and Bridges would later have the chance to team up to save the day on Airplane 2.

4. Kirk appeared in all but one episode

After his appearance in the second pilot, Shatner’s Kirk appeared in every episode and movie until his death in Generations, except one: The Animated Series episode “The Slaver Weapon”, written by sci-fi great Larry Niven. Spock makes up for his captain’s absence with some ludicrous space-karate against pink alien cat-people.

5. Eddie Murphy was almost in the whale one

So remember that one with the whales? The one everybody liked, with the kind-hearted whale scientist who was on 7th Heaven and Child’s Play? Yeah, her role was originally supposed to be played by Eddie Murphy.

Legend has it that when Paramount executives first approached Murphy to sign him up with the studio, he made them wait until he’d finished watching an episode of The Original Series. The actor was one of Paramount’s most valuable properties in the 80’s, thanks to 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop, so his presence in a Star Trek movie would have been great synergy.

It probably would have been ridiculous, but admit it: you would have loved to seen that Star Trek movie.

6. The intro to Enterprise is a perfect match

Star Trek: Enterprise deviated from its predecessors with an introductory pop song (Rod Stewart and Diane Warren’s Faith of the Heart) rather than an orchestral piece. Someone realized that it lines up perfectly with the intro to Perfect Strangers.

The reverse is true too!

7. One redshirt survived – more episodes than Sulu or Chekov

While the redshirt death is the Star Trek cliché of all Star Trek clichés, one redshirt managed to avoid an untimely demise every time he appeared: Eddie Paskey’s Lt. Leslie. He appeared in 57 episodes – which is more episodes than George Takei and Walter Koenig did.

OK technically he did die in one episode, but it apparently didn’t slow him down.

Paskey’s character had no official name until Shatner one day decided to give him one – after his own daughter, Leslie.

8. Dax played the Cat for the American Red Dwarf

With The Next Generation reinvigorating audience interest in science fiction, it inspired copy-cats. One of those was the British comedy classic Red Dwarf, which is set 3 million years in the future. In an utterly failed effort to translate the show for American audiences, Star Trek’s Terry Farrell (Dax) plays a hyper-evolved cat creature.

It doesn’t remotely work, but good for her for trying.

9. IDIC symbol was created to spread diversity … and make money

More popular nowadays than it was when first invented, the Vulcan symbol of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) symbolizes the perfect Vulcans’ celebration of life in all its forms.

But Leonard Nimoy insisted that Gene Roddenberry created the IDIC symbol as a cheap ploy to sell replica merchandise to fans. Nimoy was perhaps particularly annoyed by this because his likeness was being used to promote the tchotchke, but he was receiving exactly zero of the money for it. Live long and prosper… by using your co-workers to sell stuff.

10. Roddenberry also exploited the show’s song for profit

This would not be the only time Roddenberry would try to take advantage of the franchise for profit (exemplifying the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition that “exploitation begins at home”). After commissioning Alexander Courage to write the classic intro theme song, Roddenberry wrote lyrics to it so he could get 50% of the song’s royalties – without Courage’s consent or even knowledge.

Courage called it unethical (which it was), but in Gene’s defense he made enormous sacrifices for the show and wouldn’t really start making money from it until much later with the show’s success in syndication, movies, and (of course) merchandising.

11. Chakotay isn’t really an Indian

As part of the post-Dances With Wolves craze over the American Indian in the 1990s, Star Trek Voyager broke ground with the character of Chakotay, played by Robert Beltran. His Indian-ness is a constant plot point, although the character’s specific tribe is never mentioned – which may be a good thing because Beltran isn’t actually American-Indian. He’s Mexican.

12. But why aren’t there any actual Indian people?

So eagle-eyed fans may notice that despite consisting of around 2 billion members of the human race, there aren’t a lot of South Asians featured on the show. People may just chock that up to Hollywood casting biases, but clever Star Trek fans have another theory: super-villain Khan Noonien Singh and his ilk had rampaged across Asia during the Eugenics Wars in the distant future of the 1990’s, killing millions.

13. Wrath of Khan isn’t actually about A Tale of Two Cities

So if you’re like me, everything you know about the Charles Dickens classic “A Tale of Two Cities” comes from Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. (Spock gives Kirk a copy of the book for his birthday.) But a story about the French Revolution informs the story quite a bit less than another classic: the biblically inspired Paradise Lost. The Marcuses are Adam and Eve (having “created life” with “Genesis”). Spock is the Christ-figure who sacrifices himself so others may live while Khan is Lucifer, having been cast down to hell by Kirk, who then would be…

God himself.

14. Star Trek V really, really is about Shatner’s ego

Speaking of God-Shatner: at this point everyone knows that Star Trek V is a huge ego trip for Shatner, wonderfully typified in this video of him climbing the mountain.

But it’s on a scale of ego that even people who know it don’t realize. In contrast to the usually perfect society the franchise had shown us thus far, we see one where: 1) the Federation’s diplomatic mission has completely failed, 2) its ambassador there is a worthless drunk, 3) the flagship of the fleet barely works, 4) capable bridge officers are cartoonishly incompetent, 5) a brilliant doctor is incapable of curing, and therefore euthanizes, his own father, 6) NASA’s seminal Pioneer 10 is just target practice for Klingons, 7) and so on.

In essence, everything fails in the world Star Trek V… except Kirk. Who not only finds God but beats him in a fight.

This could all be why…

15. Gene wanted to sue Shatner over it

Roddenberry didn’t have as much of an impact on the movies as many fans may think, but that didn’t keep him from letting his voice be heard. He decried Star Trek V as “apocryphal” to his franchise’s canon and even went “as far as having his attorney Leonard Maizlish prepare legal procedures against Shatner.”

Alas things didn’t turn out as well for Shatner as they did for Nimoy because …

16. Leonard Nimoy was actually kind of a huge deal in the 80’s

Of course Mr. Spock is the beloved icon of Star Trek fans everywhere, but when he beamed into the director’s chair he was kind of a big deal for everyone. His opus Star Trek – “The One With the Whales” was the highest-grossing Star Trek film ever and, adjusted for inflation, second-highest grossing until 2009. It was also the 5th most successful film of 1986 (behind Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, and Karate Kid 2). In 1987, he directed the year’s best-performing film period in Three Men and a Baby.

Too bad he’s not wearing an IDIC pin in this shot.

Leonard was kind of a big deal in the 60’s too because…

17. Leonard Nimoy was nominated for an Emmy every year

Reflections about TOS are usually either “it was the greatest thing ever!” or “it was constantly under threat of cancellation!” Reality was probably somewhere in between. What was also real was Leonard Nimoy stealing the spotlight from the show’s lead. Leonard’s performance as Spock was nominated for an Emmy every year the show was on.

He never won, alas, but that’s still an impressive sweep.

18. But Cartoon Kirk brought home Emmy gold

While TOS never won an Emmy, The Animated Series did. It won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Children’s Series in 1975. That’s the only “major” (that is to say non-technical) Emmy that Star Trek ever won, although TOS and TNG did get nominations for outstanding series. I guess no one at the Emmy’s realized that Patrick Stewart was on TV?

19. Star Trek producer fired one of his Emmy winners

Of course Star Trek dominates the technical Emmys (make-up, special effects, etc.) but composer Ron Jones snagged a sound mixing award for TNG one year. He later went on to score the seminal Borg episode “The Best of Both Worlds”, which won both sound editing and sound mixing Emmys.

Jones released his score for the two-part episode as an album, which won the American Association of Independent Music’s Best Soundtrack Album of the Year award.

Regardless of his contributions, controversial Trek kingpin Rick Berman went on to fire Jones because his music was “too noticeable.”

Yeah. Noticed by people who were giving him awards and buying his album.

20. Yet it took 30 years to snag an Oscar

As primarily a television series, it’s not surprising that Star Trek hasn’t done too well with the Academy. (Some of that has been bad timing: The Undiscovered Country got crushed by Terminator 2.) It took until the 2009 reboot for Star Trek to finally win an Oscar for make-up.

Fans still complained relentlessly that the make-up failed to capture the spirit of make-up in The Original Series.

21. And Star Trek also won a Peabody once (randomly)

The Peabody Award, which is more commonly associated with journalism, was awarded to The Next Generation episode “The Big Goodbye” for raising the bar on syndicated TV. (That’s the episode with the gangsters. OK not that episode, but a different one.) According to the Peabody Board, the episode “set a new standard of quality for first-run syndication” in “all facets of the production.”

It’s the only episode of the franchise to be so honored. Keep that in mind next time someone knocks the first season of TNG.

22. But it hasn’t won a Hugo Award in over 20 years

The Oscars for science fiction, the Hugo Award is pure nerd gold. With TOS sweeping the nominations in 1968 and nine of the films earning nominations, Star Trek has a history of dominating them.

However, it’s just that: history. None of those films have won a Hugo and the franchise has not won an award since “All Good Things…”, the 1994 series closer for TNG.

Apparently he did put an end to their little trek through the stars.

Star Trek may be a victim of its own success. In popularizing sci-fi in the 1990’s, it created more competition for itself. Or it could be that the franchise ran out of dilithium a long time ago. Either way, I really want to see Star Trek: Discovery win a Hugo next year.

23. That time Shooter McGavin was a big damn hero

Actor Christopher McDonald is better known to audiences as the Happy Gilmore antagonist Shooter McGavin, but to Star Trek fans he’s the hero of one of the best episodes ever, “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, where he takes command of the Enterprise C to save the universe in a hopeless battle against Romulans.

He also wins the heart of Tasha Yar. Which reminds me…

24. Tasha Yar was originally a rip-off of that Aliens space marine

You know that scene in Aliens where Bill Paxton says to the tough lady space marine Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), “Have you ever been mistaken for a man?” and she says, “No. Have you?”

So that character was initially supposed to be on TNG. Roddenberry initially envisioned a Latina security chief named Macha Hernandez, and they even considered just hiring Goldstein to basically reprise her role from Aliens. They didn’t go through with that idea, though, as DC Fontana pointed out that Goldstein “is not Latina. She is petite, blue-eyed, freckle-faced.” So they did the logical thing. They hired a Latin actress.

No, I’m joking obviously. But what happened was…

25. Tasha and Deanna were cast in the wrong roles

Originally Marina Sirtis (who is Greek, not Latin) was cast as the security chief while Denise Crosby was to play the ship’s counselor. But Roddenberry intervened and swapped the two because he felt Sirtis’s appearance was better for the “exotic” Troi.
This wasn’t the weirdest example of an actor swap though as…

26. DeForest Kelley was the first choice for Spock

Back when Roddenberry was still developing the show, he initially approached DeForest Kelley to play “an alien who’s going to have pointed ears and a green color.” Kelley blew him off and told him he’d rather do a Western.

Luckily, Roddenberry found the right role for him later.

27. “He’s dead, Jim” – DeForest Kelley’s last performance

Kelley’s popular Dr. McCoy character appeared in almost every episode of The Original Series and all of the movies – but the actor died in 1999, long before any of his co-stars. If you want to catch his final performance as the Old Country doctor, it was in the 1993 video game Star Trek: Judgement Rites.

28. Sulu starred in the most controversial Twilight Zone episode ever

There are a lot of connections between Star Trek and the old Twilight Zone – both sci-fi shows from the 1960s – but perhaps the coolest is “The Encounter“, a 1964 episode where George Takei as a young Japanese-American squares off against a veteran of the WW2 Pacific Theater. It maturely and frankly deals with the issue of race following the conflict.

So naturally it was only ever shown once then pulled from the airwaves for 52 years.

29. And Enterprise did a clever Twilight Zone promo once

The two franchises remained intertwined – to the point of John Lithgow and William Shatner both joking about “There’s something on the wing of the plane!” on 3rd Rock from the Sun – to the point that when UPN premiered a new version of Twilight Zone in 2002 they had Commander Tucker explicitly reference the show in the preceding episode of Enterprise that night.

30. Star Trek invented the term “Bottle Episode”

The TV show Community popularized the use of the term “Bottle Episode” in the vernacular of TV viewers: an episode which only uses existing sets, costumes, props, and so forth to minimize cost and save money for more expensive episodes.

Now (because you’re reading this list) it shouldn’t surprise you that the term comes from Star Trek, which constantly had budget-stretching episodes to explore strange new worlds. It comes from the phrase “ship in a bottle.”

31. Kirk steals a time machine from Doc Brown

While we’re getting meta, did you ever notice that in Star Trek IV Kirk and Spock make a time machine out of the Klingon ship they stole from Christopher Lloyd in Star Trek III? You know – the guy who’d played Doc Brown the year earlier in Back to the Future?

They should have gone with the train.

32. That time Data almost made a fart joke

There’s this pretty decent first season episode called “We’ll Always Have Paris”, where an experiment gone awry is spewing extra time into the universe. The crew calls it a hiccup. (Yes, of course there is a Memory Alpha entry for hiccup.)

Data pedantically points out that analogy is wrong and almost says a better comparison would be a fart, but Picard cuts him off.

33. The book about Insurrection is better than the film

A frequent cliché is the phrase “the book is better than the movie.” When it comes to Star Trek: Insurrection, easily the most forgettable film in the franchise’s history, the book about how it was written is better than the movie.

Michael Piller’s unimaginatively titled Fade Indetails how “sausage is made” in Hollywood. He goes through the development process of his script, how his initial ideas needed to be changed to meet the demands of producers, the director, and actors (notably Patrick Stewart) then changed again and again to juggle budget restrictions and Hollywood egos.

His early concept for the film was to do a Heart of Darkness-style story, where Data goes native and becomes the villain that Picard needs to defeat. Alas that wasn’t the movie we got to see.

Piller, maybe the most important contributor to modern Trek, succumbed to cancer in 2005.

Fade In was never published, but copies have been floating around the Internet for years.

34. Seven of Nine kind of gave us President Obama

This is a weird one. Back in the day actress Jeri Ryan (Seven) was married to Illinois politician Jack Ryan, who was favored to win an open state Senate seat in 2004… until word came out during their divorce proceedings about some of the creepy sex stuff he demanded from her. A humiliated Jack was forced to drop out and the election went to a then-unknown Barack Obama, who leveraged the race to a plumb speaking spot at the DNC that year, then a US Senate seat, then the presidency.

OK so you’ve all probably seen the hour-long reviews of the Star Wars prequels by the YouTube channel Red Letter Media – honestly the reviews are better than the movies themselves. But the channel actually got its start doing reviews of the TNG movies.

They’re not quite as polished as the prequel reviews, but they’re absolutely worth a watch (and they’re much lighter on his running “gag” of killing prostitutes).

36. Ron Moore started Battlestar because of Voyager’s shortcomings

There are those in the Trek community who feel that Voyager never lived up to its potential of showing the crew really dealing with tough situations, isolation, and limited resources. Preeminent among those is Ronald D. Moore, a TNG/DS9 writer who left Voyager because of the bad taste it left in his mouth. Luckily Moore would wash that taste out with the minty freshness of Battlestar Galactica, wherein his crew really dealt with tough situations, isolation, and limited resources.

And saying “frak.” A lot.

37. Leonard did the best Q and A for fans

So you don’t have to go to a lot of Star Trek conventions to realize one can only plumb the depths of untold stories for so long before they’ve all been told. Recognizing this, Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie developed a stage routine where their two characters, Spock and Q, had a lively debate about life, the universe, and everything (which at the time included the impending Y2K).

It was a great gift to fans… and a lot more interesting than watching that video where the door doesn’t open (yet again).

38. Roddenberry considered Wil Wheaton the son he never had

Rod Roddenberry, son of Gene and heir to the Star Trek empire, did a wonderful documentary a few years ago called Trek Nation, which is really more about his coming to terms with his long-lost father than it is about Star Trek. Rod, who was born when Gene was 52, had barely any relationship with the man.

There’s a painful sequence where he’s talking to Wil Wheaton and realizes the actor got to be more of a son to Gene than he ever did. Ouch.

39. A secular devil teaches Kirk about sacrifice and forgiveness

There’s this remarkably unusual episode of The Animated Series called “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” where the Enterprise meets an extra-dimensional creature named Lucien, whose people put the crew on trial as revenge for the Salem Witch Trials and Kirk volunteers to sacrifice his life for Lucien to save him from condemnation in limbo for eternity. And Lucien turns out to be the actual Lucifer that the Judeo-Christian devil is based on.

All this in 25 minutes on a Saturday morning children’s television show.

No metaphor here

40. Idea of a prequel has been around since 1968

Prequels, reboots, and re-imaginings are commonplace nowadays, but would you believe that the idea of a prequel with young Kirk, Spock, and McCoy has been around since before The Original Series went off the air? Roddenberry first introduced the idea at the 1968 World Science Fiction Convention.

The idea came up again in 1991. Alas we had to wait until 2009, when this kind of thing happens all the time.

That’s how good they were at predicting the future back then.

41. Guinan was Picard’s great-great-great-great… grandmother

This year Whoopi Goldberg attended her first ever Star Trek convention. To the crowd in Las Vegas, she shared that – in her actor’s mind – she had always envisioned that her long-lived Guinan character had been an ancestor to Patrick Stewart’s Picard (however many greats it took), which is why the characters were so close and she took such care to mentor him.

42. Ron Howard’s weird brother was an alien bartender

This one a lot of you may know already, but legendary actor-turned-director Ron Howard has a kind of weird brother named Clint, who shows up from time to time in Ron’s movies and elsewhere in front of the camera. His first big break was as an innocuous alien named Balok who gives the crew an adult beverage called tranya.

As a grown man, Clint would reprise the role at the Shatner roast.

It’s… it’s an unusual watch.

43. The Borg were supposed to be insects

The Borg as a villain are now pretty ubiquitous, with any imposing square building compared nowadays to a Borg Cube. The threat of assimilation has become more and more real, with technology permeating our lives in ways that could not have been conceived in 1988.

The reasons they went the cyborg route is chocked up to budgetary constraints and a Writer’s Guild strike, but I think we can all agree this is was a better alternative. Bugs are certainly alien, which can be scary (like the Alien-franchise xenomorphs) but the Borg are humans who abandoned their humanity for technology, which is scarier. Now excuse me while I open six more browser windows and IM with my roommate instead of talking to him IRL.

44. Memory Alpha is basically the greatest wiki ever

There’s a saying that the three things that created the Internet were porn, the military, and Star Trek (so sex, violence, and nerdery). The online Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha is not just one of the greatest fan wikis but one of the best wikis period. It’s been around since 2003, contains more than 40,000 articles, and has been translated into Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Meanwhile, most articles over on Wookiepedia have flags like this:

45. Star Trek actually wasn’t the first interracial kiss

This one surprised me when CNN reported on it last year, and it’s a bit disappointing. The first interracial kiss on TV was not, in fact, Capt. Kirk and Lt. Uhura, but rather six years earlier when a black man and a white woman kissed in a televised play of “You in Your Small Corner” in 1962. This was on British TV so, technically, Star Trek was still the first interracial kiss on American TV.

Also this kiss appears to be an entirely consensual expression of love and affection rather than an act of telekinetic humiliation by alien super beings. But that sounds less charming than “first interracial kiss!”

46. The modern convention was created by two 14-year-olds

So at this point over-the-top entertainment conventions with hordes of cosplayers and celebrity zoos are commonplace. On one level I think everyone who goes to a con these days realizes that Star Trek created the modern convention system, but I don’t think they realize that the Star Trek fans who created this system did so when they were 14.

Queens schoolboys Adam Malin and Gary Berman started Creation Entertainment way back in 1971, mainly for comic book creators, but quickly started doing Star Trek cons as well. They weren’t the only ones doing conventions, but they’ve certainly become one of the biggest names on the convention circuit since then. Did I mention they were 14?

47. Pretty sure JJ was riffing on Seinfeld, not Trek

So JJ Abrams admitted that he was never really a Star Trek fan and didn’t have much knowledge of the series. That came through pretty clearly in Star Trek Into Darkness when Spock delivers the famous KHAAN! yell. Because when Zachary Quinto does it, I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be him channeling the Shatnerian rage of the initial yell…

I think he’s making a Seinfeld joke.

48. Spock loses his mind a lot

The episode “Spock’s Brain” is a pretty famous one. It’s the one where Spock’s (wait for it) brain is removed and the adventure is trying to get it back inside his skull. It’s one of those “so bad it’s good” episodes best enjoyed with a nice glass of tranya.

But the best example of where Spock’s marbles get lost and then found has got to be from The Animated Series episode “The Infinite Vulcan” where a mindless Spock receives a mindmeld from, of course, a giant cloned version of Spock. (Written by Walter Koenig, incidentally.)

49. Patrick Stewart compares a fictional character to Hitler – and it works

At this point, comparing Hitler to people in the Internet is such a cliché that it’s become the Hitler of the 21st Century. In the 24th Century though, Patrick Stewart’s Jean-luc Picard discusses philosophy and pre-determination with a time-traveler, wherein he asks what if a baby who is going to die becomes “the next Adolf Hitler or Khan Singh.”

I didn’t even blink the first several times I saw this, because one is history’s greatest monster and the other guy sold Rich Corinthian Leather, but Stewart sells it so amazingly well that you don’t notice the difference because to Picard they’re both monsters.
And remember, in seven years, this guy got exactly zero Emmy Nominations. #EmmysSoStupid

50. The Motion Picture is actually better than most people realize

This one was as much a surprise to me as anyone else. TMP is regularly panned and is seen as contributing nothing to the series except setting up Wrath of Khan. There’s the old joke that it’s so slow they should call it “Star Trek: The Motion-less Picture.”
But it’s actually beautifully directed, wonderfully scored, and possesses both a campiness and a grandiosity that fits the tone of the original TV show better than any of the other movies. Seriously, give it a second try (on as a large of a screen as you can find, it was made to be seen and heard as a grand cinema experience). I decided I needed to revisit it after losing an argument about it on our podcast, The Shuttlepod. Even after 50 years, this old franchise can still surprise you. The human adventure is just beginning.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/09/08/50-star-trek-moments-that-still-make-us-raise-an-eyebrow/feed/74“Building Star Trek” Smithsonian Documentary Continues Trek’s 50th Anniversary Celebrationhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/08/29/building-star-trek-smithsonian-documentary-continues-treks-50th-anniversary-celebration/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/08/29/building-star-trek-smithsonian-documentary-continues-treks-50th-anniversary-celebration/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2016 22:00:20 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=43124The Smithsonian Channel special focuses on the refurbishment of the Original Series Enterprise model on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. and looks forward to how today’s scientist are bringing us into the 23rd century. The documentary airs Sunday September 4th at 8 pm EDT. Check out the trailer and clips from the special below.

“These guys saw it coming.”

Exclusively focusing on The Original Series, The Smithsonian Channel’s Building Star Trek joins the long list of celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the franchise Gene Roddenberry created in 1966. Aptly titled, the episode’s focus will be on the Smithsonian’s restoration and conservation efforts of the original 11-foot, 250-pound Enterprise, as well as a look at the futuristic technology first predicted as a plot device to move the story along for the writers of TOS.

“If we can have one object at the Smithsonian of imagination, inspiration that is so important to real space flight, it’s got to be the starship Enterprise.”

Lauded for their efforts to once again hang the original model of the Enterprise in the Smithsonian, part of the documentary centers on the attempts to repair and ensure the preservation of the model. During the trailer, one specialist even states they are concerned that hull is just going to split in half. Fifty years a is a long time, and while the series itself was innovate, the Final Frontier was constructed on a small television budget. The materials used for the sets, props and models were not designed to stand the test of time, let alone 50 years.

However, that’s not all Building Star Trek will offer, as the documentary also emphasizes those futuristic technologies that are still in the works. Scientists talk about their ongoing efforts to realize a cloaking device, a Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow discusses actually creating a hand phaser, and we hear about the continuation of efforts from XPrize’s medical tricorder contest.

Interviews include such Star Trek luminaries as Nichelle Nichols, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and David Gerrold, the latter two of which take the opportunity to remind the audience that Star Trek is both about the unknown and inclusion.

“It would be somewhat ignorant of us to believe we are the only form of life to exist,” Karl Urban stated in the trailer.

“There’s a place for you on the starship Enterprise, not just white men, we are all going,” David Gerrold added.

Join The Smithsonian Channel four days before the televised birth of Star Trek, on Sunday, September 4 at 8 p.m. EDT and enjoy a unique look at the franchise 50 years later. The Enterprise, which is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is already there and waiting for you.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/08/29/building-star-trek-smithsonian-documentary-continues-treks-50th-anniversary-celebration/feed/15INTERVIEW: Producer of New History Channel Documentary Talks “50 Years Of Star Trek”https://trekmovie.com/2016/08/12/interview-producer-of-new-history-channel-documentary-talks-50-years-of-star-trek/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/08/12/interview-producer-of-new-history-channel-documentary-talks-50-years-of-star-trek/#commentsSat, 13 Aug 2016 00:37:04 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=42988This Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m CT), The History Channel is premiering a brand new documentary called 50 Years of Star Trek, which will include the last ever interview conducted with Leonard Nimoy. Since there have already been countless documentaries already made about the franchise, we got on a call with executive producer Brian Volk-Weiss to get the inside scoop on what makes this one different.

The first thing he told us is that he and director Ian Roumain, who’ve worked together many times before, are both huge Star Trek fans. They were working together on another project in 2012 when they realized that they were a few short years away from Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, and wanted to do something about it. They didn’t let it bother them that they weren’t actually professional documentary makers; they let their love of Trek—and their access to cameras, edit bays, and various friends in the business who could connect them with the right people—lead the way.

The pair sat down with Leonard Nimoy for what would be his final interview, and before the camera started rolling, Nimoy took a few minutes to finish up something he was doing on his iPhone. When he was done, he put it down and said to Volk-Weiss, “I remember when these were props.”

“That was,” Volk-Weiss said, “to be honest with you, as a fellow Trekkie, probably one of the greatest moments in my entire life.”

This is why you can trust that the he and Roumain love their subject matter the same way we do. Their challenge in making a documentary like this was to do it in a way that would appeal to longtime, hardcore fans who’ve already seen all the other docs and read all the books, but keep people who were fairly new to the franchise interested at the same time. He told stories so well that we’re going to let him speak for himself on the topics we covered.

ON WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTARY VS. OTHERS
“I ain’t never seen a documentary with Sarah Silverman in it,” said Volk-Weiss. “Off the top of my head, I don’t know if I’ve seen one with Christopher Lloyd in it. That being said, I sure as hell have not seen one that had both of ‘em.

“There’s been a lot of Star Trek documentaries, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen ‘em all, maybe I haven’t, and some of them I saw a decade ago, but basically, from the beginning, we were backing into the 50th anniversary. That’s what makes this doc different. From day one it was designed to be about the 50 year anniversary of Star Trek.

“Because Ian and I were fans, and because we had seen so many documentaries, and because we had read so many books, every interview we pushed everybody really hard to say stuff they had never said before.

“Like when we were with Leonard Nimoy, we only had about 90 minutes with him, he said a lot of things, God bless him, that we’ve seen in every documentary in a billion interviews, but every now and then, he’d say a little thing I knew at least to my own knowledge had not been said before. And then we would follow up on that aggressively, and try and get him to talk more.

“So one of the things he said that I didn’t know, for example, was that he was offered to direct Generations. I didn’t know that. And he turned it down. Jeri Ryan saying that she was offered a role in Nemesis, they were going to write out one of the regulars to put her in. I never heard that before.

“Ike Eisenmann said a lot of stuff that was way worse [than what made the final version], that we for a variety of reasons took out, but because we know what had been said, we worked hard to get stuff that had never been discussed.”

ON WHAT EISNENMANN SAID THAT WAS CUT
“He told a really really bad story. I’m not even trying to be diplomatic… he didn’t say who was involved, but he told a pretty wacky story about Kirstie Alley having a rough day, and he had to uh, go into her trailer and help.

“Don’t forget, Kirstie Alley got to L.A. about six weeks before she was on set. Ike was in sort of a similar position. So they really bonded on how new they were, so she had a rough day with a cast member, he did not say who, so he was in her trailer consoling her during a rough patch. That was probably one of the more interesting things we left out.”

ON WHAT HE WISHED THEY COULD HAVE DONE
“If it were up to me, we would’ve done a 3-hour documentary, and the first hour of this one would’ve been all about Lucille Ball. We didn’t have enough time for it, but other than Gene Roddenberry, nobody deserves credit the way Lucille Ball does. I don’t think people understand what Lucille Ball did. And not just for Star Trek, but also for TV history. She literally invented the re-run. If there’s any regret I have about the doc, is that we were not able to dedicate a lot more time to her.”

ON MAKING A DOC FOR FANS AND NON-FANS ALIKE
“We walked a very fine line with the movie. Because my wife is not a Trekkie, to put it mildly, she loves to make fun of me that there are bad guys called Cardassians. There’s probably nothing in life she finds funnier than that. So we were walking this real fine line, as was History [Channel] with all of their notes, which were great, which was: Is this movie for me? Or is this movie for my wife? Or is this movie for somebody in between the two of us?

“There was stuff we took out that would’ve been great for you and me, but my wife would’ve been like, ‘Who cares?’ One of our assistant editors, I asked her, ‘On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your Star Trek interest?’ She said she was a zero. And she’s been working on the movie, putting the whole thing together, and she said she found it absolutely fascinating. Hopefully we hit both sides of the equation.”

FAVORITE MOMENTS
“One of my favorite moments? When Bobak Ferdowski, NASA’s ‘Mohawk Guy’, said Insurrection is his favorite Star Trek movie. That is quite possibly the strangest most bizarre and insane thing ever said in the history of Star Trek I wanted to literally cut to a card that said WTF with a question mark, and then cut back, but luckily that was vetoed by Ian and many other people.

“We interviewed D.C. Fontana. I just have to say, out of all the people that I met, she is one that I was almost tongue-tied around. I’ve literally been reading about her since I was ten years old. I met William Shatner two years ago on something else. And I was completely normal and fine to talk to him. But for some reason, it was just super crazy meeting her. Some would argue her DNA was as relevant as Roddenberry’s.”

ABOUT THE PHOTOS USED
“Essentially, it was similar to what I was saying about how we were always aggressively trying to get new answers to questions. We know the pictures that have been out there. Ian and I, we’ve been fans for 30 years, we would go through a hundred thousand million pictures, and all of ‘em we had seen, until we would come to one that we hadn’t, and that’s the one we would pick.

“The movie was made by fans, so we knew to discard what had been done. Whereas if we were just hired to make the movie, you would take the prettiest picture, or the most relevant picture.”

ABOUT THE STEPHEN E. WHITFIELD BOOK ‘THE MAKING OF STAR TREK’
“The only reason I’m not a lawyer or a dentist living in Queens is because of that book and one other book about the making of Star Wars. I probably read it when I was 11 or 12, and that book is what allowed me to understand the business of show business. And I found the business of it very exciting.

“And by the way, I’m a TV producer; there is stuff in that book that is absolutely going on today. I would say 45% of that book is still relevant today. I have a copy of every single edition of that book.”

ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANT TO SAY TO FANS?
“Some of the press has been coming about the doc, and of course, I’ve been reading the comments section. A lot of the comments are saying ‘Why would I watch this documentary, it’s all been out there before?’ And I just want everybody to know that yes, of course there will be stuff in there you’ve heard before. But I would say at least 45-55% of the movie is brand new information and for any Star Trek fan, even if it’s – the Shatner doc about the making of the first season of Next Generation? – I knew 85% of that information, but the 15% of that doc that I didn’t know Yaphet Kotto was up for Picard. So that nugget alone was worth watching that documentary.

“So I just want the fans to know there’s a lot of new information in this documentary and they should give it a chance. We were very aware of this issue, and I really think we worked very hard to make sure that if you’re the biggest Trekkie that ever lived, you’ll enjoy this doc and you’ll learn new stuff.”

There’s more, but check it out for yourself. The doc premieres this Sunday on The History Channel. Check out a clip below:

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/08/12/interview-producer-of-new-history-channel-documentary-talks-50-years-of-star-trek/feed/26Restored Original Enterprise Model Docks in Washington, DChttps://trekmovie.com/2016/06/28/restored-original-enterprise-model-docks-in-washington-dc/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/06/28/restored-original-enterprise-model-docks-in-washington-dc/#commentsWed, 29 Jun 2016 03:43:21 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=42241Millions of people every year will now be able to see the original model of the USS Enterprise at the Smithsonian – unfortunately for them, just like as Picard tells Data in First Contact, they won’t be able to touch it.

The 50-year-old original model of the Enterprise went on display today in the main lobby of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Previously, it had been at its sister museum in Chantilly, Virginia (displayed prominently in the gift shop) and then dry-docked for a couple years while it was restored to its former glory.

While the ship (excuse me, the model) has been redone to appear just as good – if not better – than it did in 1966, the restoration process left the visible electrical wires on its port side visible. The wires ran the lights on the ship, but were never filmed.

The Smithsonian has always endeavored to tell not just the story of advancing science and technology, but also of the people who were involved and the broader cultural impact, Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, curator for the Air and Space Museum, told TrekMovie.

“When you start to talk about pop culture and memorabilia, we can talk about Star Trek now, she said. Aerospace conglomerate Boeing provided much of the funding for the Enterprise restoration, part of a larger effort for the museum, so the Smithsonian has named the main lobby the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

The same exhibit space currently features a profile of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, as well as the Star Trek Voyager communicator pin she received when she attended the show’s premiere in 1995.

An official public ceremony to celebrate the new addition will be held on Friday (which is also the 40th anniversary of the museum itself). The event will include several Star Trek glitterati, notably Michael and Denise Okuda, and a midnight screening of the film Galaxy Quest.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/06/28/restored-original-enterprise-model-docks-in-washington-dc/feed/54Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes For Star Trek Fanshttps://trekmovie.com/2016/06/14/top-10-twilight-zone-episodes-for-star-trek-fans/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/06/14/top-10-twilight-zone-episodes-for-star-trek-fans/#commentsWed, 15 Jun 2016 06:10:19 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=42097The Twilight Zone and Star Trek both occupy a special place in science fiction history. But, perhaps more interesting is the surprising amount of crossover between the two shows (and I’m not just talking about the more well-known instances a la Captain Kirk screaming on an airplane). Hit the jump to read my top 10 Twilight Zone episodes that every Trekkie should see.

CNN is currently running a series covering the last few decades of American history. Some of you may have been watching it. I was particularly eager for the episode profiling television in the 60s, to see what words they might have about Star Trek.

They mention it, but only really Plato’s Stepchildren, which featured the first televised interracial kiss (on American TV at least).

They do talk about the larger subject of using science fiction to discuss cultural issues of the day, but primarily focusing on The Twilight Zone. The two shows experienced a lot of crossover with cast and crew who worked on both shows, and of course fans who enjoyed both. There’s even an Enterprise where Trip hangs a lantern on the issue when he says T’Pol’s story sounds like an old Twilight Zone episode!

So I thought it would behoove me to write an article of my Top 10 Twilight Zone episodes for Star Trek fans. Note that this doesn’t include any of the famous ones that you probably already know (Eye of the Beholder, It’s a Good Life) or the ones famous for starring Trek actors (Nick of Time, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Quality of Mercy). I’ve also included some from the two subsequent TZ series to spice things up for those who may only know the 1960s show.

10 – The Encounter

So controversial at the time, this episode only aired once on broadcast television. It features a (very) young George Takei and lingering Japanese/American hostilities after World War 2.

Bonus GIF of George Takei jumping out a window with a katana

9 – The After Hours (1986)

So this episode is a remake of one from the original series, where a woman encounters mystery at a department store, but more remarkable to Trek fans because the lead is played by one Terry Farrell. (No spots, alas.)

8 – Mute

The TOS episode The Empath is extremely similar to this little-known TZ classic.

7 – But Can She Type?

Have you always been a fan of 1980s Jonathan Frakes but you wanted him as less of an executive officer and more of a pick-up artist? Well you’ll find that … in the Twilight Zone.

6 – The Passerby

This Civil War-era episode stars Joanne Linville, who plays the Romulan Commander from The Enterprise Incident (my favorite TOS episode). Luckily, this time she at least gets a name. Passerby also features a character from another Star Trek episode, whom I’ll let surprise you …

5 – One Night at Mercy

This is the only episode on my list from the UPN series (which Trip was helping promote to fans when he name-dropped the show on Enterprise). It features Star Trek fan and Voyager alum Jason Alexander (better known as George from Seinfeld) who plays Death and yadda yadda yadda there’s a twist at the end.

4 – Of Late I Think of Cliffordville

This episode does some clever pre-Trek things with time travel, while also featuring two future Trek guest stars: Julie Newmar (Eleen from Friday’s Child) and John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge from The Survivors).

3 – The Hunters

OK this one I confess that I haven’t seen – it’s from the 1980s series and it stars Louise Fletcher, the Oscar-winning actress who DS9 fans know better as Kai Winn, so I had to put it on my list. And it’s in my queue to watch as soon as possible!

2 – Valley of the Shadow

This one explores some pre-Trek ideas that seem like the building blocks of the Prime Directive, and features a supporting role from James Doohan, speaking in his rarely heard native American (well, technically Canadian) accent.

1 – Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?

OK I’m cheating on my rule about no episodes that appear on top 10 best Twilight Zones. This one appears on many lists, and is my personal favorite. Notable to Star Trek fans, though, is the appearance of John Hoyt, who played Dr. Boyce in the first TOS pilot. Is he the real Martian? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Also honorable mention to “Walking Distance”, although – again – that’s probably on a lot of top 10 lists for the whole franchise. It’s JJ Abrams favorite episode, which he references in the movie Super 8. Enjoy watching! And I’ll see you … in the Twilight Zone.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/06/14/top-10-twilight-zone-episodes-for-star-trek-fans/feed/18New FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK Trailer Will Hit You Right In The Feelshttps://trekmovie.com/2016/04/13/new-for-the-love-of-spock-trailer-will-hit-you-right-in-the-feels/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/04/13/new-for-the-love-of-spock-trailer-will-hit-you-right-in-the-feels/#commentsWed, 13 Apr 2016 20:42:59 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=41607The first trailer for For The Love of Spock, the Leonard Nimoy documentary that raised over $660,000 on kickstarter, released its first trailer, warming hearts and watering eyes everywhere.

For The Love of Spock is a documentary project funded on kickstarter and spearheaded by the son of Leonard Nimoy, Adam Nimoy, to explore the character of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and the mark he left on the world. The project was originally conceived as a project in which father an son would work together. But, after his father’s passing, Adam decided to carry on making a film very near and dear to his heart.

Today, the film dropped its first trailer, and it’s as heartwarming as one might expect.

Along with the trailer, the group also released the first movie poster.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2016/04/13/new-for-the-love-of-spock-trailer-will-hit-you-right-in-the-feels/feed/10Celebrate First Contact Day by Streaming Star Trek Music All Day on AccuRadio’s Newest Channelhttps://trekmovie.com/2016/04/05/celebrate-first-contact-day-by-streaming-star-trek-music-all-day-on-accuradios-latest-channel/
https://trekmovie.com/2016/04/05/celebrate-first-contact-day-by-streaming-star-trek-music-all-day-on-accuradios-latest-channel/#commentsTue, 05 Apr 2016 11:02:06 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=41527In honor of our beloved holiday, First Contact Day, listen to music from all five live action series and 12 movies of Star Trek on AccuRadio’s newest channel created especially for the occasion, Spock On: The Music of Star Trek.

Hey, Trekkies! Happy First Contact Day! Yes, it is April 5, future date of Zephram Cochrane’s historic flight of the Phoenix and meeting with the Vulcans in Bozeman, Montana in 2063. I don’t know about you, but I have future plans to pitch a tent in Bozeman in 2063 and await this fabled event. Until then, however, we’ll have to make do with some 21st century entertainment.

In celebration of First Contact Day, AccuRadio has created a new channel, Spock On: The Music of Star Trek, which will be broadcasting great Star Trek music selections taken from the five series and 12 movies. In case you didn’t know, AccuRadio has been broadcasting for over 15 years and boasts 975 channels. Not to mention it’s free! Pretty impressive!

Not only is AccuRadio paying tribute to First Contact Day on April 5, its CEO and founder Kurt Hanson pays tribute to Trek every day of the year. Hanson grew up watching The Original Series and even became a graphic artist on Star Trek: Insurrection, the third Next Generation film outing. He designed animations shown on various starship computer monitors in the film. This gave Hanson a chance to make Star Trek a part of his career and further foster his love of the series.

Hanson has an extensive collection of props and memorabilia on display in AccuRadio’s Chicago office. We’re not taking a few tricorders or a comm badge here and there – staff meetings are held at a TOS conference table, you can pretend to order your raktajino from a DS9 replicator, and have a seat at the ops station from the Enterprise E. Sounds like my kind for workplace for sure.

The famous Galileo shuttlecraft model from Star Trek V The Final Frontier

Order up a fresh raktajino in this DS9 replicator

Enterprise E ops station as seen in Star Trek Nemesis

Well, what are you waiting for? Celebrate First Contact Day by adding a soundtrack to your workday or commute with AccuRadio! You can also follow AccuRadio at Twitter (@accuradio) and on Facebook and Instagram.

Tonight, the 42nd annual People’s Choice Awards airs on CBS. While no Star Trek productions are up for a win this year, we can take a look back to 1980 when William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy presented at the 6th annual award ceremony. Take a gander, and marvel at Leonard’s epic mustache.

You can watch the 42nd Annual People’s Choice Awards tonight on CBS or CBS All Access.

Some 200 5.25-inch floppy disks from late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s estate have been unlocked revealing about 3 MB of decades old words typed by the Great Bird himself.

Cover photo: DriveSavers’ Mike Cobb and Jim Wilhelmsen with Gene Roddenberry’s old computer and some of the floppy disks whose documents they restored.

After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, he left behind some 200 floppy disks as part of his estate. The problem? Reading these disks would be impossible without the custom-built hardware and operating system used to create the original files. As the press release explains:

[Roddenberry] used a pair of custom-built computers to capture story ideas, write scripts and notes. Over time, the author moved on to work with more mainstream computers, but kept the custom-built pair in his possession.

Although Roddenberry died in 1991, it wasn’t until much later that his estate discovered nearly 200 5.25-inch floppy disks on which the Star Trek creator stored his work. One of the custom-built computers had long since been auctioned and the remaining device was no longer functional.

DriveSavers, experts in recovering data from all kinds of media, announced today that they have successfully recovered around 95% of the data from those floppies, most of them 5.25-inch 1980’s era storage disks.

Developing a method to read the disks took over three months, and extracting all of the data took nearly a year.

Now, the Roddenberry estate has some 3 MB of previously lost files created by Gene Roddenberry. But, they aren’t saying what exactly is on the disks. “Documents,” is all DriveSavers could say, “Lots of documents.”

As a thank you to DriveSavers, Rod Roddenberry, son of Gene Roddenberry, sent this signed photo of the Great Bird of the Galaxy in front of his old computer (presumably taken back when it was in working order).

What do you think is on Roddenberry’s floppies? A lost season of Star Trek the Original Series? A new science fiction television series? Details about the backstories of beloved Trek characters? Maybe his family’s secret recipe for biscuits? With the 50th anniversary of TOS happening this very year, maybe we’ll be treated to some updates on the disks’ contents soon!

Webcomic creator, cat-lover, and drawer of funny things, Matthew Inman (a.k.a. ‘The Oatmeal’), took to the interwebs today to tell the story of a young Gene Roddenberry in glorious webcomic form.

“This is not intended as an ode to Roddenberry,” writes Inman, “although he certainly deserves one.” The webcomic entitled “It’s going to be okay.” depicts the story of a 25-year-old co-pilot, and how one fateful flight changed the course of his life (and, in turn, of science fiction history).

“This story is intended to remind you that our journeys are short. Roddenberry saw life’s ephemeral nature lit up against a backdrop of stars. He saw that we are all passengers pitching downward into the night. He saw that we’re all helpless. So get up, and help someone.”

TREKLAND: On Speaker is an ongoing series of audio recordings culled from the thousands of hours of audio interviews Nemecek has conducted over the decades. Previous volumes have covered TNG and DS9, and now, on it’s 20th anniversary, it’s Voyager‘s turn.

From the press release:

Twenty years ago, 1995 saw the launch of Star Trek: Voyager as the franchise’s return to network television, headed by the first-ever female lead captain in Star Trek history.

And now, Star Trek author/producer Larry Nemecek digs deep into his 500+ hours of longform interviews on analog tape to return to 1994 and 1995 and his long extended conversations with those who built Voyager.

The result is the fourth volume in his TREKLAND: On Speaker series, “Voyager’s Premiere: Taking Care of ‘Caretaker.’ “

“These are not sound bites and quickie blurbs for TV, but extended, 60 or 90 minutes interviews at season’s end that have now been digitized and remastered, “ Nemecek explained.

“And, of course, it’s all from the producers, writers and designers who really made the creative decisions behind the moments fans love—far more than even the cast. In long extended clips that have never been heard before in public.”

The audio recording comes on a compact disc with extensive liner notes, photos, and an introduction from Nemecek himself. The disc costs $21.99, postage included, and is available through Nemecek’s site, larrynemecek.com, or at Larry’s table during his many convention appearances. He is also more than happy to sign copies, either through mail or in person.

“Each of us, at some time in our lives, turns to someone – a father, a brother, a god – and asks: Why am I here? What was I meant to be?”

This scene from the Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is meant to convey the existential crisis that V’Ger(and to a lesser extent Spock, Kirk, and Decker) is experiencing. The same can be said about the film itself, which was pulled in many different directions from the beginning and, due to numerous outside forces, struggled to find itself.

That struggle is brought together in vivid detail in Return to Tomorrow, an oral history of the film from author Preston Neal Jones and publisher Creature Features.

Working from an unpublished manuscript originally intended for publication in the classic SF film magazine Cinefantastique, the book is an incredibly detailed chronicle of the film’s production, from it’s beginnings as the pilot for the canceled Phase II series, all the way through it’s harrowing post production and theatrical release. It’s an extraordinary deep dive into the nuts and bolts of making an effects-driven film in the late 1970’s and illustrates the unique challenges inherent in trying to revive a classic television show for the big screen. The book is an absolute treasure trove, and will appeal to both Trek and film fans alike.

Virtually all of the key players involved in the production are present, from then-Paramount executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, to Gene Roddenberry, to many of the cast and crew(the notable exceptions being visual effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull and the man he replaced, Robert Abel).

The book is presented as it was intended to be published in 1980, and as such is a remarkable snapshot of an era before Star Trek became a giant multimedia franchise, a time when all there was were three seasons of a cult tv show. There is speculation throughout the book about the film’s chances, and whether potential success could portend a sequel or a new series. This complete lack of hindsight makes for a very charming read.

No aspect of the production is left unexplored – details range from the cast reaction to returning to Trek(Shatner didn’t completely believe it was truly happening until he was standing on the bridge on the first day) to the ingenious way the Enterprise’s “intermix chamber” effect was achieved, to the various drafts the script went through during production.

There are wonderful little nuggets, like Gene finding the new uniforms too militaristic(!), to the extraordinary cost of the main Enterprise miniature(over $1 million), to paths not taken(Gene initially wanted Ilia to survive the meld with V’Ger and return to the Enterprise). There are gems like these, both big and small, throughout the book.

Because this is a book about TMP, much of it is devoted to the film’s myriad problems, particularly post production. It was clear to many people early on(including some of the actors) that Robert Abel & Associates, the FX company contracted to do the film, were in over their heads. Paramount, already laying out huge sums to Abel, resisted entreaties from Doug Trumbull to take over the work. By the time he was brought in to consult on and ultimately take over the job, months had passed, and the production had little more than one year to get the effects ready, resulting in a mad dash to meet the film’s locked-in release date.

One figure who emerges as a true hero is director Robert Wise, who, with superhuman effort, made sure the Enterprise got out of dry dock. He did everything he could to make Trek into a true cinematic experience, all the while trying to hold together a very difficult production which continually resisted order(and which by the way, never had a definitive budget). Throughout the book, Wise is lauded by virtually everyone for his great skill and his extraordinary grace in dealing calmly with problems that seemed to grow bigger by the day.

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I loved this book. The story contained within is as much of an odyssey as the journey the Enterprise takes in the film, and I give it my highest recommendation.

The first print run sold out, and the book has now gone to a second printing, which you can order here.

SPECIAL BONUS! A few weeks back, our colleagues at The Digital Bits published a roundtable discussion about TMP that featured many Trek illuminati, including the Okudas, Mark Altman, Robert Meyer Burnett, Jeff Bond, Neil Bulk, Daren Dochterman, David Fein, Mike Mattesino, and Scott Mantz. It’s a great discussion and serves as a perfect companion piece to this book.

Trekkies, hide your pocketbooks if you don’t want to be tempted by Propworx’s Star Trek auction, which boasts an impressive haul of original screen-used props from throughout the Star Trek Franchise: from props, to artwork, to costumes, to scripts. The most unique (read: priciest) item up for bid is one of only two screen-used fiberglass TOS phaser props known to exist. The prop, which was featured in the hands of a security officer in the episode “Assignment: Earth”, is expected to fetch upwards of $60,000.

TOS Phaser Expected To Sell for $60,000+
The headline item up for grabs at the upcoming Propworx auction is a 47-year-old original series phaser prop featured in a close-up view during the episode “Assignment: Earth”, which aired March 29th, 1968. Only two such phasers are known to exist. This one was positively identified thanks to a unique scratch mark and blemish due to excess paint in addition to matching up the orientation of the phaser’s nozzle ring to what was seen on screen. Propworx, the company providing all of the props for auction, says that the phaser was probably used in many other 2nd and 3rd season TOS episodes, saying that they found:

“a match of the uniquely patterned silver foil material on top of its hand phaser to the foil on the Greg Jein TOS Hero Phaser pistol, and the identification of a tiny mold flaw / accent line defect in its rear body fin appearance which is a perfect match to a mold flaw observed on a different phaser seen in a close-up screen capture from the Original Series episode “Spock’s Brain”.”

The company went as far as getting high-resolution photography of the velcro used to attach the phaser to its user’s uniform, which revealed, “some gold, blue and red TOS velour Starfleet tunic fabric traces still trapped in the Velcro – exciting remnants from production on the Desilu soundstage 49 years ago!”. A piece of history to be sure.

Tons of Other Great Props
While everyone has their eye on that phaser, we’re going to be placing our bids on some just as iconic pieces of Trek history. What I am most excited about? How about the ORIGINAL Wil Wheaton Wesley sweater! This particular one was used by Wil’s stunt double. Yes, it’s the infamous rainbow sweater, up for grabs to the highest bidder. Or how about a set of three (count ’em, three) Guinan hats for the more affordable $200-300.

Everyone’s favorite rainbow sweater: $2,000-3,000

Lot of 3 Guinan hats: $200-300

Models
More than just costumes and props, some fantastic screen-used models are also up for grabs, including a Deep Space Nine Klingon Battle Cruiser and Jem Hadar fighter.

Klingon Battle Cruiser from DS9: $1000-1500

Jem Hadar fighter from DS9: $1000-2000

More Props and Production Materials
Props from TOS, TNG, DS9 will also go under the gavel, including PADDs, phasers, tricorders, dabo chips, and even some gold pressed latinum to bet with.

So much more…
Seriously folks, there are so many more cool items. You should really check out the auction catalog to see all the cool stuff that is going to be sold. You can already place initial bids on all of the items, with live bidding beginning February 21st at 12PM PST. You can start emptying your bank account by registering for the auction at liveauctioneers.com. Bid long and prosper!

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2015/02/10/screen-used-star-trek-props-up-for-auction-including-60000-tos-phaser/feed/37Smithsonian Brings Original Enterprise Model Back for One Day Only During Major Restoration Efforthttps://trekmovie.com/2015/01/26/smithsonian-brings-original-enterprise-model-back-for-one-day-only-during-major-restoration-effort/
https://trekmovie.com/2015/01/26/smithsonian-brings-original-enterprise-model-back-for-one-day-only-during-major-restoration-effort/#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 18:16:23 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=40049

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is overseeing the 4th and latest restoration of the original Enterprise model used to film The Original Series. For one day only they let the public in on the process, and TrekMovie’s Jared Whitley has the scoop and photos below.

HERNDON, VA – A small piece of history beamed into town today.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum held an open house to showcase some of its restoration facilities, and staff spoke with visitors about how they tend to artifacts in their possession at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a converted hangar bay in Herndon, Virginia, about 25 miles from Washington, DC. Thousands of visitors were able to go through rooms that are off-limits the rest of the year.

The marquee attraction of this event was the original model used for the starship Enterprise. No bloody A, B, C, or D.

Conservation experts are touching-up the prop, which is over 50 years old at this point. The model had been on display in the 1st floor Smithsonian Museum Store continuously since 2000, so to see it again in the open was as sweet as a glass of tranya. The restoration efforts are preparing the E for her new, more prominent home in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall along side such iconic flying machines as the Spirit of St. Louis, the single-engine plane flown by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 on the first solo trans-Atlantic flight, and the Apollo 11 command module, which landed Neil and Buzz safely on the lunar surface in 1969.

Thousands of people came to see the Big E this weekend

Restoration and Preservation since the 1960s
Since it’s television debut in 1966, the 11-foot model has been “treated” three times – in 1974, 1984, and 1992. The current restoration comes more than 20 years after the last major effort in 1992 overseen by Science Fiction Modelmaking Associates, who also brought you many of our beloved TNG props and models. The 1992 job caused some controversy in the fan community over the paint that was applied. Mike and Denise Okuda, who have been responsible for so much of the look and feel of Star Trek over the years, are consulting on the new restoration project.

“That [1992] restoration was actually quite accurate, but the restorer applied the “weathering” overlay too heavily,” Mike told TrekMovie. “That’s actually a very easy mistake to make. It’s really very hard to judge the “proper” amount of weathering, especially for an object that is normally seen in second, third, fourth and worse generation photo images, which is what was done for the original optical effects. Nevertheless, I agree that the weathering was too heavily applied.”

Mike says that the Museum may decide to take a more conservative approach this time around, saying “I don’t think the museum has yet decided on the exact approach they’re going to take. They’re still studying it, trying to figure out a balance between restoration and conservation. They will want guests to see the starship in all its glory, but at the same time, they want to minimize invasive procedures in the interest of preserving the artifact (including its paint) for future study.”

The Smithsonian treats their objects as proper museum pieces, and as such will preserve some of the original surface during restoration projects. According to Okuda, the top of the saucer (except the bridge superstructure) has the original paint applied to the model in the 1960s. That means the exact paint captured by the cameras that brought you the Original Series. How cool is that?

The original model and the guys who built it in December, 1964 (left to right): Richard C. Datin, Jr., Mel Keys, and Vernon Sion (not pictured, Volmer Jensen)

But, while it is important to preserve the model in its original form, there is also another story to be told: that of what the Enterprise looks like in the minds of its audience, or how it “should” look.

“I know some fans expect the entire model stripped and refinished to match the image that’s in their heads of the “real” starship. I personally advocate a middle ground between showing the starship as we imagined it, and showing the prop as an artifact of a bygone era of television filmmaking. I think both stories are important to tell.”

In need of some TLC
Since the last restore, all the Enterprise has had is some light dusting and is reportedly in need of some TLC. As a result, the model has suffered over the years.

“The engines are reportedly sagging, and (possibly related) there is some cracking in the structure. There is also some significant cracking in the 1992 paint job, as well as crazing in the original 1960s painted areas.”

It will be great to see the model properly taken care of, mended, and shined and moved to a location worthy of its history (rather than living as an adornment of the gift shop). And, with the restored Enterprise’s unveiling scheduled for Trek’s golden anniversary year, it might be a good time for Trekkies to make a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. and get a look at the ship that has inspired so many.

Two fearless climbers have captured the eyes of the world this week with their amazing ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan. After climbing for 18 days and nights, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson today became the first climbers ever to use only their hands and feet to summit a 3,000-foot sheer path called the Dawn Wall. The climb has garnered incredible amounts of media attention. El Capitan is of course known to Trek fans, who saw Captain Kirk free climb it in Star Trek V.

STV: Captain Kirk is Climbing the Mountain
While STV is not regarded as one of the better Trek movies (in fact, it is usually at the very bottom of the list) the scene perfectly matches the theme of the movie: our hero tries to achieve the unachievable, fails, but finds his companionship with his friends is more valuable. And of course, it also gave us this:

A grueling climb
Climb along with Tommy and Kevin who documented their journey from bottom to top. And, feel free to discuss “who climbed it better” in the comments.

Just in time for the film’s 35th Anniversary, the long-awaited oral history of Star Trek: The Motion Picture will be released this week from author Preston Neal Jones and Creature Features Publishing. More info after the jump.

The Human Adventure begins again in TMP ‘Oral History’ Book
There was an enormous amount of anticipation leading up to the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in December 1979. Fans had been clamoring for a new movie or show since The Original Series went off the air ten years earlier. The film was a big-budget “event” picture that promised to take Star Trek to places that wouldn’t be possible on television.

What many moviegoers didn’t know at the time was that the production of the film was a troubled one. Filming began before the script was finished, there were internal battles between Gene Roddenberry and writer Harold Livingston that saw multiple rewrites arrive on the set daily, and the company that was hired to do the visual effects had to be replaced late in production, causing a frantic rush to have the film ready for its release date. All of those factors, as well as several others, resulted in a film that went wildly over budget and was viewed by some as being dull and boring.

“Return to Tomorrow” is a 672-page book that will provide an oral history of the film, compiled from interviews with 60 of the film’s cast and creators, conducted as The Motion Picture was being prepared for release.

The interviews include William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the entire cast, along with director Robert Wise and writer/producer (and creator of Star Trek) Gene Roddenberry. In addition there are dozens of additional interviews with visual effect artists, illustrators, model builders and technicians. According to a press release for the book “no aspect of the film’s creation is overlooked” and it also promises the “unvarnished, uncensored truth” of how the first Star Trek feature was created.

The source material for “Return to Tomorrow” was originally intended for publication by Cinefantastique magazine in 1979, and author Preston Neal Jones was given unparalleled access to the cast and crew of the film. However, owing to the late completion of the film and ambitious scope of the manuscript, it was never published—until now. According to the publisher, the entire manuscript has been “laboriously fact-checked” for release in book form.

The book is now available for shipping. Order details can be found here.

Author Marc Cushman would like to release the third volume of These Are The Voyages this fall, and he’s turned to Kickstarter to make it happen. More after the jump.

These Are The Voyages Season 3 Goes To Kickstarter

Over the past year, author Marc Cushman has released the first two volumes of what some consider the definitive history of The Original Series, These Are TheVoyages. The Saturn Award-winning books, each over 600 pages, chronicle the production of Star Trek’s first two seasons and make great use of Gene Roddenberry’s personal collection of production notes, memos, letters, budgets and scripts, many of which are stored at the UCLA Archives. The amount of research is exhaustive, from the various script drafts of episodes, to casting, critic and fan reaction from that time, and much more, including analysis of Star Trek‘s Nielsen ratings, which often tell a different story than the one we’ve been told for the past 48 years.

“These Are The Voyages” Volumes 1

The first two volumes were published by Jacob Brown Media Group, and are available through the company’s website, as well as Amazon and other outlets. The third volume, covering the series’ tumultuous third season, was originally scheduled for release in December. The publisher would like to postpone the release until some time next year, feeling the people need more time to find the first two books. Cushman, however, would like to get it out sooner, and has devised a Kickstarter campaign to get the book in people’s hands before the end of the year.

“These Are Thee Voyages” Kickstarter promo video

The campaign is being organized by the team behind Star Trek Axanar. A pledge of $40 gets you an autographed copy of the hardcover edition of Volume 3 (which is about the cost of the book plus shipping). There are lower pledge amounts which get you hardcover or e-book versions of the previous volumes and higher pledge amounts for a complete set of all 3 books, or collectible rewards, or even lunch or dinner with the author. More info on the campaign or to pledge at Kickstarter.com.

TrekMovie spoke to Cushman last year when Volume One was released, and he discussed the genesis of the project (yes, I went there), the challenges he faced, and his feelings about Star Trek in general.

When Volume 3 is released, TrekMovie will publish a comprehensive review of all three books.

***UPDATE***

Since this story’s publication last Friday, it has come to our attention that Marc Cushman has a monetary interest in the Jacob Brown Media Group. Subsequently, the project’s Kickstarter pitch was changed to reflect this new information.

Over the weekend TrekMovie reported on the Star Trek: TNG reunion event at NYCC, which included a comment from Marina Sirtis about how Gene Roddenberry would have felt about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Today DS9 co-creator Rick Berman responded to Sirtis’ assertion. More details below.

Berman Responds to Marina Sirtis Comment About Roddenberry and DS9

As TrekMovie reported, cast members from Star Trek: The Next Generation gathered at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY on Friday, October 10th for a question-and-answer event. One audience member asked the panel of actors how Star Trek changed following series creator Gene Roddenberry’s death in 1991. In response, Marina Sirtis offered the following regarding Roddenberry’s opposition to the concept for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:

“The truth is that if Gene (Roddenberry) was alive- had been alive- DS9 would have never been made, because he absolutely said “no” to it when it was presented to him. He said ‘Star Trek is about exploring space, it’s not about a hotel in space.’ So, it would never have happened.”

Rick Berman continued to guide Star Trek: The Next Generation following Roddenberry’s death in October of 1991, and he also co-created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Michael Piller, which premiered in January of 1993.

Rick Berman offered a somewhat different account in an interview he gave on May 31, 2006, conducted by the Archive of American Television, which is part of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. TrekMovie reported on this wide-ranging interview in 2009 [click here to see video]:

"When Gene died, both Michal Piller and I were involved in creating and writing Deep Space Nine, and we never really got a chance to talk to him about it because he was quite ill at that point. But even with Deep Space Nine and later Voyager, and Enterprise I felt it was important that as long as something had the Star Trek name on it that it stayed true to Gene’s belief of what Star Trek was all about."

"I really never had the opportunity to discuss any ideas with Gene [Roddenberry]. This was very close to the end of Gene’s life, and he was quite ill at the time. But he knew that we were working on something, and I definitely had his blessing to develop it."

Based on statements from both Sirtis and Berman (from today and through past interviews), it is unclear what Roddenberry knew and thought of Deep Space Nine. Berman stated today that he shared concepts and characters with Roddenberry, but Berman’s previous statements characterize this matter differently. Also, whether Roddenberry could have stopped Deep Space Nine from going into production (which Sirtis implied from her appearance last Friday) is unlikely, as Roddenberry’s objections to previous Star Trek films (including 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) went largely ignored. This point is worth noting: even during his lifetime, Roddenberry did not own or control Star Trek. Ultimately, his was a significant voice, but not the final say.

However, the gaps in the record remain: what specifically did Roddenberry know about Deep Space Nine? If Roddenberry knew of ideas and/or characters, were they relevant to what became the actual series? And finally, what did Gene express to others about those ideas? Having these answers will hopefully settle the contradictions discussed above.

Rick Berman, Gene Roddenberry, Michael Piller and cast celebrating the shooting of the 100th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (“Redemption, Part 1”) in April 1991 – six month before Roddenberry’s death.

For fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, none of this may really matter. If you like the show, will that really change based on what Gene Roddenberry may have said about it a year before it went into production? On that note about fans of the show, Berman had one more tweet today, noting the contribution of two of the key producers (and the writers) for DS9.

For those of you who loved DS9, you can thank Ira Behr, @RonDMoore, and an amazing team of writers

Gary Kurtz was the producer of the original Star Wars movie and the first sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, and in a new interview he talks about how George Lucas was influenced by Star Trek.

Star Wars Producer: Star Trek More Influential Than Joesph Campbell

In a new interview at Mashable, producer Gary Kurtz blasts a number of myths about the 1977 film Star Wars, one of which relates to the franchise that began a decade earlier: Star Trek. Mashable’s Chris Taylor asked Kurtz first about the influence of Joseph Campbell’s book on mythology "The Hero With A Thousand Faces," which Kurtz noted was overblown. They then went on to say that there was something else that was more influential…

But was Star Wars actually more influenced by the Star Trek TV series, which was undergoing a hugely popular revival in syndication in the early 1970s?
Yes. [George] did talk about that [show] quite a bit. I mean Star Trek, the early series, was pretty much all human drama. There was a touch of humor in it, but most of it was down to relationship stories. There wasn’t much in the way of intergalactic battles. They didn’t have any money.

But it was set in this kind of futuristic kind of environment that was inspiring. It freed up the mind to think about what would it be like to travel to distant galaxies and encounter other species. I think that that definitely was one of the influences — because that’s what Flash Gordon was like too.

Lucas Talks Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry

In Rod Roddenberry’s documentary Trek Nation, George Lucas himself has talked about Star Wars "stood on the shoulders" of Star Trek. Watch it in the clip below.

So even though both franchises have clearly influenced each other over the decades, much of the talk of the two seems to drift towards how they are rivals. But in the end most Trek fans like Star Wars and vice versa, so the rivalry is really more in good fun, as evidenced in this very clever video from IGN from last year.

Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered on September 28, 1987, returning the franchise to its television roots. The success of the show spawned three additional series which ran through 2005. Today celebrate TNG’s 27th birthday by watching some of the original pre-air interviews with Gene Roddenberry and the TNG cast and crew, plus a rare pre-launch campaign video for syndicated stations.

Star Trek: TNG Pre-Launch video

In the video below Mel Harris (President of Paramount Television Group in 1987) walks Star Trek TNG’s syndicated television stations through the studio’s plans for promotion in the months leading up to the September 28th premiere.

Pre-air interviews

The following interviews (discussed in the above video) were provided to the syndication affiliates to use in their promotion of the show

Gene Roddenberry

Michael Westmore

Rick Berman

Robert Justman

Herman Zimmerman

Set Tour

ILM Visual Effects

Patrick Stewart

Wil Wheaton

Marina Sirtis

Denise Crosby

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Countdown promos

And this video compiles the daily ‘countdown’ promos to the premiere of the show.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is still considered by most to be the best film in the franchise, but that doesn’t mean making the movie was easy. In a new interview writer/director Nicholas Meyer talks about how William Shatner had problems with the script and how he fought with the studio over the treatment of Spock’s death. Details below.

Meyer On Dealing With Shatner and Being Overruled On Spock’s Death in Star Trek

In an interview promoting his upcoming appearance at the Destination 3 convention in London, Star Trek II (and VI) writer/director Nick Meyer talked to the official Star Trek site about his time with the franchise. In regards to Star Trek II Meyer recalls the experience fondly, but he also did note a couple of areas of tension with making the film. Firstly, Meyer talks about how he first had trouble with William Shatner and the script for Wrath of Khan, saying:

I know that, originally, Bill Shatner didn’t like the script at all, and I was very floored by this because everybody else did like it. And I sort of listened to his complaints with mounting alarm, and the form it took was that I just kept having to get up and go to the men’s room. Just kept peeing and peeing and peeing as though I was either very humiliated or very enraged or some combination of both. When he left, I was in a real depression. Harve said, “Well, you know, just a minute. If you parse this into bite sizes, it basically boils down that he wants to be the first man through the door.” So, I could understand that. I went back and 24 hours later I’d done a rewrite, and he was very pleased.

Harve Bennet’s wisdom to Nick Meyer – Shatner wants Kirk to be first guy through the door

Meyer also discussed how he was overruled in how Star Trek II dealt with Spock’s death, saying:

When Paramount saw the movie, when Leonard saw the movie, and everybody said, “Well, gee. Gee. Maybe killing him isn’t such a good idea.” And at that point, we got into the whole thing about “Remember” and showing his coffin on the planet, and stuff like that. All of which at the time I furiously objected to. I just thought this was so unfair to an audience of people who really care about this sh-t, and then saying, “You know, oh, it was just a dry hustle.” No, I didn’t think that was right. And in retrospect, you know, maybe I was wrong about that. At the time, I just thought that my vision of the thing was being insensitively overruled. But that’s when they made that insert, about “Remember” and put him on the planet in his torpedo.

Meyer objected to these scenes in Star Trek II setting up Spock’s resurrection

The studio model for the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series is on the move. Earlier this week the ship was removed from its latest display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, in preparation for move to a new location within the museum. The model will also be undergoing evaluation and conservation treatment. More details and photos below.

Original USS Enterprise Model Begins Move To New Home At Smithsonian

The studio model for the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek has been on public display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC since the museum opened in 1976. The ship has moved around a bit over that time, but since 1999 it has been on display in the gift shop inside a special case (see below). In April of this year the Smithsonian announced the ship would be moving again, this time to the central "Milestones of Flight" hall which is being renovated.

USS Enterprise on display at the Air and Space Museum Gift Shop

On Friday in a blog post the Smithsonian revealed the Enterprise display was taken down on September 11. Renovations to the new Milestones of Flight Hall will be completed in time for the Museum’s 40th anniversary in 2016. According to the Smithsonian, the11-foot long Enterprise model is in need of "some conservation" before it can return for public viewing.

USS Enterprise model being removed from display at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on September 11, 2014

The model is now being transported to the Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory in Virginia where it will be "evaluated and treated." According to the Smithsonian the model "has not had any significant treatment other than a basic dusting since 2000."

USS Enterprise model being prepared for transport

The Smithsonian announcement explains their approach to conservation:

The Museum’s general approach emphasizes conservation over preservation and preservation over restoration. Restoration is bringing an object back to its appearance and condition at a determined point in time in the past. With a restoration approach, there is less concern for preserving original materials and more focus on returning to the original specification, often through the addition of non-original materials. Preservation is an overall philosophy that favors keeping original material over creating an ideal physical appearance, while keeping the artifact from deteriorating any more. Conservation follows the preservation philosophy and is minimally invasive, utilizing scientific investigation and techniques to maintain original materials, preserving the object’s physical history of ownership and use.

The almost 50-year-old piece of Star Trek history was previously treated by the museum back when it was donated in 1974 and again in 1984 and 1991. The model was first on display at the "Life in the Universe" display but had been moved at least twice before ending up in the gift shop in 1999. One of the reasons for the move was concern over how the ship was being displayed by hanging it and how that could possibly damage the structure of the model. So they built a special case with custom stanchions to support it, and it remained there in the gift shop until this week.

The USS Enterprise model in some of its past homes at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Once the work is completed, the model will be part of the display in the Milestones of Flight Hall which is the central exhibition space that greets visitors entering the Museum. This hall includes some major pieces of history including the Spirit of St. Louis and the Bell X-1. The hall has remained mostly unchanged since the museum opened, but thanks to a $30 million donation from Boeing, it will be going through a number of renovations, including adding an Apollo Lunar Module (and the starship Enterprise). There will also be a new floor plan, new digital "mobile experience" and more.

Promo video for the new Milestone’s of Flight Hall – future home of the original USS Enterprise model

Today TrekMovie finishes up our exclusive interview with writer David Gerrold – this time Gerrold talks frankly about his troubled time working on Star Trek: The Next Generation and coming into conflict with Gene Roddenberry and Rick Berman, being ‘blackballed’ in Hollywood and he even gives his thoughts on JJ Abrams Star Trek.

Gerrold Interview Part 2

In part 1 of our interview with Star Trek writer David Gerrold we focused on his time with the original series and animated series, in part 2 we talk about his tumultuous time in the early years of Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Warning: interview includes adult language)

TrekMovie: Gene’s sensibilities changed a great deal from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. He became more of a pacifist, and he…

David Gerrold: Well this is something we don’t like to talk about. Gene gave us Star Trek and he was a great visionary in that regard. But he didn’t know how to share the credit with everyone else and he was self-centered. And that led to some serious mistakes, and one of them – and I have no idea why – but he was a substance abuser. First it was alcohol, and then it was grass, and then it was Quaaludes and other drugs. He had this disease. If he had stayed off the booze and the pills, he would have been going strong until ninety. He was just a big strong guy, but he fell into that trap of substance abuse and it killed him. We could see that breakdown in his thinking processes very early. Maybe the stress of producing was tough on him. I didn’t know him that well personally, I only knew that professionally that there was stuff going on with him.

According to Gerrold – Gene Roddenberry (pictured above on the set of Star Trek: TNG) was a changed man by the time the second Trek series went into development

TrekMovie: From a philosophical perspective, it would be fair to say that by the time The Next Generation came around, Gene was more about the notion that conflict would no longer occur among the crew of the Enterprise, and that lack of dramatic tension boxed in the writers…

David Gerrold: Well that came from Gene’s lawyer [Leonard Maizlish], a scumbag of a human being. I cannot say enough things – he was a truly evil human being. He was going to be Gene’s helper on the show. He appointed himself Chief of Staff and he would go around and say we can’t do this and we can’t do that and “on Star Trek everybody loves each other.” For those of us who had written for the show knew that wasn’t true! We knew our people got into arguments. But what happened was he would go to Gene and say “you can’t let David do this and can’t let Dorothy do that.” Everybody has to be good friends. It is that whole ‘band of brothers’ thing we established in the first. Well, no. What we established in the original series was that there was a lot of tension between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. It is normal and appropriate. Yes, there should be tension between these people who have different jobs. But you get Leonard Maizlish wandering the halls telling writers “you can’t do this” and everybody is terrified because you could argue with Leonard and explain to him and the next thing you know you get a memo from Gene that was dictated by Leonard. I had it happen to me several times where I would talk to Gene and explain that I thought “Data” was a bad name for the android and Gene would say “you are probably right, come up with another name.” And we would come up with another name and the next thing – later that afternoon – Gene would say “no, I’ve talked it over with my lawyer, we will keep the name Data.” Another time I would say we should do so and so and he would agree and then later in the day Gene would say “I’ve talked to the lawyer and we have to do it this way instead.” And I was “why does a starship need a lawyer, Gene?!” That was the control that the lawyer had. Gene was terrified that the studio would try and take the show away from him, so we ended up with this bizarre circumstance that Gene was so afraid of losing his show that he gave control away to his lawyer and he didn’t trust me or Dorothy Fontana after. That was the part that hurt Dorothy and I the most is that Gene stopped trusting us and started treating us as the enemy. The result of that is that I am not going to fall into the “Gene was the Great Bird of the Galaxy” bullshit that everybody loves to share, because I saw Gene being something other than the Great Bird of the Galaxy.

TrekMovie: Let’s talk about “Blood and Fire” – the AIDS allegory that you wrote and the obstacles you ran into trying to get it produced.

David Gerrold: I don’t blame Gene as much as I blame Rick Berman for that clusterfuck. Others have confirmed it. They have said that in their experience Rick Berman was a raging homophobe, which makes the whole thing even more bizarre. Because, before Rick Berman came on the show, he had written a three-page memo on ‘here are some of the stories we could tell, some of the issues we could address’. And number three on his three-page memo was AIDS and how we should do something about AIDS. So now Gene and I appeared at a Star Trek convention in November of 1986 and somebody asked “will there be gay people aboard the Enterprise?” And Gene – to give him credit for knowing the right thing to say at the right time – said “yes, it is time, we should show gay people on board the Enterprise.” This got a lot of applause. So then he repeated it in a staff meeting and balled out one of the producers and said “no, it’s time” So I figured if Gene said it in a staff meeting, then he truly means it. So it was time for me to get a script assignment and I started to do “Blood and Fire,” because I wanted to do something so far removed from funny. I wanted to show I could do something horrifying. Here is something about this disease that is so awful that we are not allowed to rescue anyone from that other ship but we don’t find out until after our away team has already beamed over so now we have to try. So the story wasn’t about AIDS as much as it was about the fear of AIDS. People had stopped donating blood because they were so afraid of AIDS.

Rick Berman and Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek: TNG set – Gerrold came into conflict with both producers

TrekMovie: There was tremendous amount of misinformation out there at the beginning.

David Gerrold:So I wanted to do a story that involved blood donorship and the whole story was structured that we would need blood donors from the Enterprise to show that the crewmembers were not afraid of donating blood. I even wanted us to put a card at the end of the episode saying you can donate blood, contact your local Red Cross. I figured if blood donorship went up after the episode it would get news. It would not only demonstrate how big the audience was and be good PR for the show, but also raise blood donorship. So it was a win-win. So that the script, somewhere in there I was “you know what, these two characters, they could be boyfriends.” There were two lines of dialog. “How long have you two been together?” and “Since the Academy.” That was it. I go off to a Star Trek cruise and come back to find there has been a clusterfuck. Rick Berman writes that we can’t do this episode and how we are on at 4PM in some markets and mommies are going to write letters. We get half the staff saying we shouldn’t do it and the other half – those who could recognize a good story – saying “this is a hell of a script, we got to do this and demonstrate we are the Star Trek that everybody’s been waiting for.”

So Gene’s lawyer sits on Gene’s face for a while – he was another homophobe – and said “you have to take the gay characters out.” And so I give half the lines to Tasha Yar, because if we still get the episode on the air, the point will still be made. And we go through rewrite after rewrite after rewrite and the script doesn’t get any better and I see what is going on and I don’t want to be trapped in an office where we have hypocrites running the place. I can’t deal with this, my health was already starting to suffer. So I started taking vitamins and nothing is getting better and I said “I can’t deal with this hypocrisy” and then I hear a rumor that they are planning to fire me. So I am thinking “they really don’t want to go there.” And then I get offered a really nice deal over at Columbia. So I tell Gene I want take the deal at Columbia and to please not renew my contract. He and I part pretending to be amicable and a week later my agent calls me and says “why are people saying you got fired from Star Trek?”. I bring in a stack of everything I had. We go over to the Guild and the Guild looks at it and files a grievance that says “you have this kid doing producer level work and you were not paying him producer level wages and the Guild.” The Guild examines the “created by” and “developed by” credentials to see if I am entitled to those because of the amount of work I did and that Gene didn’t. So I ended up making six figures off of that little thing, because Gene and the lawyer set out to screw me. Dorothy made at least as much because she got jumped on her credits too. And the lawyer was also telling people “Dave is mentally ill too.” They paid for that. He repeated that to a reporter for the LA Times and my lawyer called him and said “what kind of car do you drive?” and he said “what do you mean?” and he said “because David is going to own it when we get finished suing you.” That ended that particular bit of slander, but I know for a fact that Gene set out to destroy my career for television because while there is no official black list, if you say “so and so is difficult to work with” you won’t get work.

TNG’s "Lonely Among Us" was the last produced TNG episode with Gerrold credited (as "Program Consultant")

Not only could I not get a phone call returned, for ten years I couldn’t even get an agent because Gene and Berman and everybody they had working for them was going “oh yeah, David Gerrold is a hard…” Look, after a few years everybody knew it wasn’t me, it was Gene. But, I kept my mouth shut because you couldn’t win with the steamroller of lies. So I just went off and concentrated on writing novels and adopted a little boy. And in the long run, Gene did me a favor. I got to write books that would not have been written any other way and I got the most remarkable son. I have to walk myself around the block on this. I could have stayed on Star Trek. I could have found my way to make it work or found a way to come back after a while, but then after a few years I would have had a credential of being a name on the credits of a second-rate show or I could go back to my first love, and be known as a pretty good science-fiction writer. So Gene did me a favor there. So I got to write all the books I wrote in the nineties, and “The Martian Child” which won me a Hugo and Nebula and some other trophies and I got to rediscover my love of writing. And by the way, my health improved so fast once I was out of that office, it was amazing. Gene did me a favor. The ten years I couldn’t get an agent were great. I rediscovered how to be a good writer because I wasn’t writing to please a producer but to tell a good story.

Gerrold’s 1995 novel "The Martian Child" was made into a feature film with John Cusack in 2007

TrekMovie: What are your thoughts on the two JJ Abrams Star Trek films?

David Gerrold: You know JJ has a different style of writing and Melinda Snodgrass recently pointed it out and I think she said it brilliantly. What JJ does – and he isn’t the only one, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were doing this in some of their worst pictures – where they get an idea “let’s have the dinosaur do this” or “let’s have the robots do that.” Let’s have this moment on screen. So they would write the story to the action moment – to the blockbuster moment. So you get a series of moments like you are going through a dark ride at Disneyland and it pretends to be a story. But a real story has a character that is growing and you are tracing the emotional journey, not the physical journey. But a lot of the movies being produced by the studios have fallen into the blockbuster trap of we have to have big moments, big blockbuster, CGI, exciting moments. And so what gets sacrificed is the emotional growth of the characters. There is no emotional through line. For me that is the problem in the JJ pictures is that they very exciting but they don’t get us back to the heart and soul of the original Star Trek which is that Kirk has an interesting problem to solve that forces him to deal with a moral dilemma of the prime directive, being a Starfleet captain, and following the rules. And if you look back there was a severe limit on what Kirk could do because he was a Starfleet captain. And what we got in the JJ movies is a little too much Star Wars and not enough StarTrek.

TrekMovie: What are you currently working on and what do you have coming up in the future?

David Gerrold: I just finished a short story. I have got a story in the current issue of the magazine Fantasy and Science Fiction and one more in the next issue and two more that the editor has bought but hasn’t scheduled and four more on his desk. I also just finished stories for two other anthologies and I have to get back to work on a couple of books I promised. And I might have a movie deal but I can’t talk about that.

Gerrold continues to write – his latest short story is in the current issue of “Fantasy and Science Fiction” magazine

New Gerrold.com Site + Win David Gerrold eBooks

David Gerrold recently rebooted his website, Gerrold.com, and it’s full of new features and free stuff, including a free copy of “The Kennedy Enterprise” when you subscribe to David’s mailing list, free excerpts from David’s newly-released eBooks each month, giveaways, and more. Twelve of David’s classic works have been recently released in eBook formats, and you can get details on those eBooks on Gerrold.com.

And you have a chance to win a copy of Gerrold’s “Boarding the Enterprise” behind the scenes books, plus four e-books, thanks to David. Just click on the contest embed below.

A few days ago we had Douglas Trumbull talking about "saving" Star Trek: The Motion Picture and now in a new interview George Takei is talking about how that first Trek feature was "in trouble from the start." Listen to Takei talk about TMP, failed Paramount salary negotiations and more below.

Takei Talks Star Trek: TMP Troubles & Paramount Salary Negotiations

Yesterday George Takei was the guest on for KCRW Radio’s "The Business," a show about the film and TV business in LA. The show is hosted by Kim Masters, a veteran entertainment industry journalist. After talking about his new documentary "To Be Takei," Masters brought up the subject of the troubles with making Star Trek: The Motion Picture and also how cast members were paid in the subsequent films. Here is the exchange.

Masters: So going back in time, I wrote quite a bit about the first Star Trek movie…There was a lot of dysfunction in the Star Trek family. Originally they didn’t include Spock and Leonard Nimoy had big issues with Paramount, I think they were in litigation. There were also problems with Gene Roddenberry and they brought in Harold Livingston to write the script and the two of them were at war with each other. I read, and I think I even wrote myself, about how Livingston would write his version of the script and then Gene Roddenberry at one point was intercepting the pages and substituting his own and you guys in the cast didn’t know what was what with that at the beginning of the movie.

Takei: We did not and we kept getting rewrites after rewrites and the first film we had the most difficulties with. We were in trouble from the beginning and it went way over budget and way over schedule and that’s when Paramount said there is going to be no more Star Trek films made – this was it…but when it opened, bless their hearts, the Trekkies all lined up in front of the box office and they made it a profitable film and so the green ugly head of greed came up at the front office and they decided they will do another one, but that is when Leonard [Nimoy] came into play. He said this is going to be the only one – The Wrath of Khan – he will not do Spock any more because it was affecting his career. So he made them agree and had them write it into his contract that his character would be killed off at the end of Wrath of Khan and he was indeed killed off, but Nick Meyer, the writer, managed to slip in one little bit before he gets killed off. He touches
Dr. McCoy and shares a very cryptic line "remember, remember" and then he goes into that radiation chamber. And it turns out that was the key, and because Wrath of Khan became a box office bonanza for Paramount, they wanted to do another Star Trek film. But he had been killed off.

Masters: So they brought him back. It is the Hollywood way.

Takei: Well he was enticed with remuneration. And that is when we discovered that Bill had written into his contract that if any other actor should be remunerated more than him, his will go up to equal that.

Masters: Did the rest of the cast find out and say ‘if they are getting this, then we should have that?’

Takei: We did. And unsuccessfully.

Masters: Well those were tough guys in those days. Barry Diller and Michael Eisner and Jeffery Katzenberg. Tough customers

Takei: Yes they were tough guys, yes.

Nimoy’s Take

Takei’s recollection of some of these events differs from Leonard Nimoy’s. Here is what Nimoy had to say back in 1986 in an interview with Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

For years the Hollywood community has continued to nurse the rumor that Nimoy was sick and tired of putting on his pointy ears and playing the Vulcan. In fact, after Spock died at the end of Star Trek II, Nimoy met with Michael Eisner — then president of Paramount, the studio that releases the Star Trek movies — to lobby for a chance to direct III. “I can`t understand how you can ask me to do this,“ the perplexed Eisner reportedly said. “How can you ask me to give you control of a $16 million Star Trek feature when you hate it? You hate it so much you had yourself killed off!“

Nimoy denies these enduring reports. “There has never been a Star Trek project I haven`t been a part of, and yet there is this persistent notion that I have refused to do Star Trek or that I have rejected it in some way,“ he says. “There`s some kind of strange anomaly going on here, right?“

You can listen to the full interview below where Takei talks about "To Be Takei" his social media popularity and more.

TrekMovie continues to celebrate the Star Trek’s 48th birthday with an exclusive interview with one of the writers for the original Series. David Gerrold (best known for "Troubles with Tribbles") talks to us about the legacy of Star Trek, his relationship with the Genes (Coon and Roddenberry), LGBT characters in Trek and more. Plus we have a contest to win five David Gerrold e-books.

Interview: David Gerrold

David Gerrold is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter who is best known to Star Trek fans for writing “The Trouble with Tribbles”, one of the most famous and beloved episodes of the original Star Trek series. He went on to pen two episodes of The Animated Series (“More Tribbles, More Troubles” and “Bem”), and served as a story editor on Star Trek: The Next Generation. His non-fiction book, The World of Star Trek, was for many years considered one of the definitive books about The Original Series.

Gerrold has written many non-Trek science fiction books, including the “Star Wolf” series. His novel The Martian Child was adapted into a feature film starring John Cusack, which was released in 2007.

TrekMovie sat down with the science fiction legend for a 2-part interview where we discussed his feelings about Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, and a great deal more.

TrekMovie: The original Star Trek series is closing in on its 50thanniversary. Do you feel the show is still relevant half a century later?

David Gerrold: I am biased in the matter. I think the original series is still the best. Part of it is the circumstances in which it was created. We didn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations. We knew going in that we could be cancelled any time because we did not know we were a big hit. NBC’s demographics showed we were a big hit, but the ratings were just one number, and they weren’t split by demographics at that time and we weren’t in the top 10 so we could be cancelled. So the attitude on the show was a very simple ‘let’s just do the best show that we can, for us – let’s just be the best Star Trek we can be.’ Nobody was worried about ratings. Maybe we will get renewed for a second season and maybe for a third season, but we didn’t have the pressure on us that we were a hit series. When Next Generation and all the other shows came along, the studio already knew ‘we have this big hit, we must not endanger the franchise, we can’t take chances.’ Well if you look back at the original series, we were taking chances almost every other episode. There were the anti-war stories in the middle of the Vietnam War, stories about drugs, stories about mutually assured destruction. We were the only show talking about peace when every other show was justifying war. We were examining social issues such as haves vs. have-nots and all kinds of things. And no one ever said “You can’t tell this kind of story.” It was always about how to make this kind of a story work. “How do we do good television and tackle this idea?”

So it was really an idea show, but when we get to Next Generation – even though the studio promised “you can tell any story you want because you don’t have a network censoring you” – what happened was the studio’s attitude quickly became ‘we mustn’t do anything that will endanger the success of the franchise, therefore we cannot risk offending anyone.’ So for that first couple of years, that series was kind of bland. I believe the original series remains relevant, even though some of the issues we talked about now look quaint. You go back and look at the ambition of the original series and what we were attempting every time out with no money – it was an expensive show but we didn’t have enough money for half the stuff we wanted to do. But if you look at the ambition of what we were attempting, what you see is a landmark in television’s history.

William Shatner holding tribbles of the head of a young David Gerrold

TrekMovie: You were very young when you started in the business, and Gene Coon was amentor of yours. What are some of the lessons you learned from him that youhave applied to the rest of your career?

David Gerrold: I learned several things. I learned to not be afraid to rip apart the story and dismantle it completely to see what worked and what doesn’t work and you need to get where you need to go quicker. All of the discussions we had on “[Trouble with ] Tribbles” and “I, Mudd” and a few other conversations was “don’t get married to any specific scene, you may have to cut it to get from there to here faster.” But at the same time, don’t throw away the good stuff if this is a very funny scene, or important scene or dramatic scene. So it was a kind of learn how to balance and dance with your own script to see how it worked. There is something else I got from Gene Coon, which is even more important, which is the integrity of the writing process and respect for other writers. Every writer is a human being and needs to be treated with courtesy and respect. Every script needs to be treated with courtesy and respect. And don’t forget every writer who brought in that script has an investment – both emotional and financial – and you need to respect the writers who are involved in the story you are telling. And to respect the Writers Guild rules. And so the thing I took away from Gene Coon was a respect for the integrity of the process, which I know there are a lot of people in the industry who don’t have that same respect.

Writer/producer Gene Coon – Gerrold’s ‘Star Trek’ mentor

TrekMovie: Touching on another thing about Gene Coon – I know you arefamiliar with Marc Cushman’s books on the original series (These Are The Voyages). In the secondvolume he talks about Coon’s departure, saying that some of it was motivatedby how Gene Roddenberry didn’t like that Coon was adding moretouches of humor or levity, like with “Trouble with Tribbles” or “Piece ofthe Action.” Do you have any insight into that?

David Gerrold: I am glad that Marc was able to find evidence of that in the memos. Yeah, the thing I know about Gene Roddenberry is that he had no sense of humor. He didn’t understand jokes. It was not that he was a grim man. Writing comedy is a strange, bizarre kind of mindset. Not everybody can do it. It comes from timing. You need to have a bizarre sense of a look at the world. It’s manic. I think Gene’s military training kind of beat his sense of humor out him. He took things very personally a lot. I think he didn’t recognize something – which was fairly new at the time, anyway. There was a movie called From Russia with Love. And it demonstrated you could have an action-adventure story and if you punctuated it with funny dialog, then the relationships were cleaner and clearer and made the whole picture a lot more fun. From Russia with Love is the picture that really established the whole James Bond mystique. You have guns, girls, gadgets and quips. So that after James Bond fights Rosa Klebb and she’s got the poison shoes he says “she’s had her kicks.” It says “we’re done.” It puts the punch line on that and you move on to the next moment. And Gene L. Coon got that. You see a lot of that in “The Apple,” which ends with Kirk and McCoy teasing Spock, who looks like a devil with the pointy ears, which is a fun piece of business. And it lets you know these people like each other. When people tease each other, they like each other. Gene L. Coon’s mistake was going over the top. “Piece of the Action” was a little too much over the top. It was slapstick.

TrekMovie: Yeah, the humor was very broad.

It was fun slapstick and I think Star Trek needs one or two of those every season. I think you need to let your hair down once in a while. Not only is it fun for the actors, it is fun for the audience. We don’t have to save the galaxy every week. I think Gene L. Coon was trying to bring a sense of scale to the show. I think he got a little slapstick on “Piece of the Action.” I have never liked that episode that much, but I like it better than the one where they went back to the Nazi Planet [“Patterns of Force”]. Trek is a difficult show to do. Not a lot of people understand how to do Star Trek. Even Gene Roddenberry -when we got to Next Generation – was losing his own sense of perspective, because of a series of little strokes.

TrekMovie: A lot of people may not know this but you are the person thatgave James T. Kirk his middle name (in the animated series episode “Bem”). I wanted to know how you came up with Tiberiusand if you had any trouble convincing Gene to go along with it.

David Gerrold: No, it kind of just happened. We were at a Star Trek convention and somebody asked Dorothy and I what was Kirk’s middle name and I had just finished a book on Roman history and was still thinking Tiberius and so it popped out of my head, “Tiberius.” And the audience loved it, so later on when we were doing the animated show which was a few months later and we passed it in front of Gene and he said “OK” and that was about it. There was no big deal about it. If we really stopped to think about who Tiberius was and who would name a kid Tiberius? And so when I did my StarTrek novel (“The Galactic Whirlpool”), I explained how Kirk got that middle name, which was more of a nickname than a real middle name. You do things for the fun of it sometimes.

Kirk got his middle name in the TAS episode "Bem" written by Gerrold

TrekMovie: There has been some debate as to whether Star Trekis better as atelevision or feature film franchise. What are your thoughts on that?

David Gerrold: I think Star Trek works better as a TV series because you can do episode ‘here is an issue, here is a story, here is an idea, a theme, a challenge’, and whether or not that episodes succeeds or fails you can come back next week and take on another. Like Law and Order takes its cases off the front pages of the newspaper. And Star Trek as a series should be doing the same thing, taking its story ideas off the front page of the paper – if anyone is reading newspapers anymore!

TrekMovie: Since the mid eighties, the LGBT community has become much more mainstream in a why that people couldn’t imagine in the 80s. With another Star Trek movie coming in a couple years, isn’t it time for a gay character on the Starship Enterprise?

David Gerrold: Oh it is long past time. It is so long past time. We should see a Jew; we should see an Arab; we should see somebody from South America; we should see people from all over world in a diverse crew. We should also see people of different faiths and we should see gay man or lesbian. Or gosh, they might even have a real relationship. They might have a boyfriend or girlfriend. We are long overdue. Star Trek could have been, and should have been the first show to acknowledge that gay people are part of our society and culture, but instead by the time it happens – if it ever happens – Star Trek will be the last show. Doctor Who is way ahead of us, Battlestar Galactica too. There wasn’t a show on the air that wasn’t having gay characters or something. Well that boat sailed and we missed it. The thing is, there was time when that sort of story was going to be dangerous and that was what Star Trek was supposed to do, the dangerous stories. Now, not only is it not dangerous, but it is boring. Oh, a gay character? We’ve seen that before. It is like the token negro in the sixties. We are long past even the token gay character.

TrekMovie: There has been some questions put to Roberto Orci about doing that and he seems to be receptive, so we will see.

David Gerrold: You know, you don’t do it like "look how smart and clever and whatever we are and here is a gay person." You do it like – there is a show called The Bridge – and one of the reporters – the didn’t make a big deal out of it – but one day she wakes up gets out of bed and besides her is her girlfriend. That’s it.

Gerrold with William Shatner on set of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

Check back later this week for part two of our interview with David Gerrold, which will focus on the the development of Star Trek: The Next Generation and his departure from the franchise.

New Gerrold.com Site + Win David Gerrold eBooks

David Gerrold recently rebooted his website, Gerrold.com, and it’s full of new features and free stuff, including a free copy of “The Kennedy Enterprise” when you subscribe to David’s mailing list, free excerpts from David’s newly-released eBooks each month, giveaways, and more. Twelve of David’s classic works have been recently released in eBook formats, and you can get details on those eBooks on Gerrold.com.

And you have a chance to win some of those Gerrold’s recent ebook on the making of "The Trouble with Tribbles" plus four more e-books, thanks to David. Just click on the contest embed below.

As part of our celebration of Star Trek’s birthday we have TrekMovie video from the weekend’s Salt Lake City Comic Con where Leonard Nimoy beamed in via Skype and talked about how he got cast in Star Trek following his appearance on Gene Roddenberry’s previous show The Lieutenant. We also have clip of that episode. Watch it all below.

Nimoy Celebrates 48th Anniversary + Talks Trek Casting At SLCC

We don’t know how we’ll celebrate birthdays and anniversaries when we eventually adopt a Stardate numbering system, but for now, Sept. 8 will always be Star Trek day. While the date Star Trek first aired with "The Man Trap" will no doubt get more fanfare in 2016, its 50th anniversary, we at Trek Movie are still celebrating the 48th and so did Leonard Nimoy, who was sure to highlight the big day on Twitter:

Star Trek went on the air 48 years ago today. The stories begin and the vision will LLAP

At the Salt Lake City Comic Con over the weekend, Nimoy gave his thoughts on his half-century as Spock. He made an appearance via Skype to a packed audience of convention goers who wished he could have beamed over to share the hour with them in person. Relevant to today’s anniversary, there was a point when one fan asked how Nimoy how he landed the job as Spock. The actor recalled the story about a guest role on a series called The Lieutenant, created by a certain Mr. Gene Roddenberry, who was so impressed with Nimoy’s performance and offered him the role as Spock. Watch him tell the story below.

The Lieutenant – Birthplace of Star Trek

Nimoy’s episode of The Lieutenant (which starred Gary Lockwood) was "In the Highest Tradition," which aired February 29, 1964. It also featured Majel Barrett. Nimoy and Barrett appeared in Roddenberry’s first pilot for Star Trek "The Cage," which was shot at the end of that year, and Lockwood appeared in Roddenberry’s second attempt at a Star Trek pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before” which was shot in 1965. The episode was written by Roddenberry and was also directed by Marc Daniels, who went on to direct 14 episodes of Star Trek. Here is a clip from The Lieutenant featuring Nimoy, Lockwood, and Barrett.

Watch a clip of the episode below (via Amalie1701 on YouTube).

Tomorrow TrekMovie will share the full video of Nimoy’s SLCC appearance.

On September 8, 1966 the first episode of of an ambitious sci-fi show created by Gene Roddenberry aired on NBC – in color! 48 years later, Star Trek is still going strong after hundreds of episodes over five series and twelve feature films (with another on the way). Watch the first commercials and interviews for Star Trek below, plus get info on TrekMovie’s ‘livetweet’ celebration and giveaway set for tonight.

Don’t Miss ‘Star Trek’ – In Color!

When it debuted in 1966, Star Trek was a new kind of TV show. It was an hour-long science fiction drama in color aimed a both kids and adults. Here is the first commercial for the series giving viewers and overview.

And here are interview clips with stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy promoting the show

Relive ‘The Man Trap’ With Livetweet Celebration Tonight at 8:30PM

Star Trek’s birthday was originally Thursday September 15th, but then NBC decided to preview the show (along with some other new shows) a week early. So on September 8th at 8:30 PM they aired "The Man Trap," which was actually the fifth episode produced (after the failed first pilot).

Print ad for premiere of "Star Trek"

So tonight at 8:30 ET (5:30 PT) TrekMovie staffers will be watching "The Man Trap" and livetweeting along. Anyone can join in on the fun We will be using the hashtag #StarTrek48 for the livetweet and all day long to celebrate the anniversary. The livetweet will include a trivia contest with prizes!

More #StarTrek48 at TrekMovie

And TrekMovie has more celebration of the 48th anniversary of Star Trek coming up, starting with an exclusive interview with original series writer David Gerrold coming up later today.

Visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull was a late edition to the crew for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, after he initially turned down a deal to do the effects for the movie. In a new video he talks about how he came on board to ‘save’ the movie. Watch it below.

Trumbull on ‘Saving’ Star Trek: The Motion Picture

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Douglas Trumbull talks about how he was brought in help save Star Trek: The Motion Picture after the "studio was panicking." In the end Trumbull’s work on TMP earned him an Academy Award nomination, but the amount of work literally put him in the hospital. Trumbull explains in the video below.

Yesterday the world was shocked by the death of actor/comedian (and Star Trek fan) Robin Williams. Many Star Trek luminaries, including some who worked with Williams, went to social media to express their condolences. We have compiled those below, plus take a look at some Star Trek/Williams connections – including the TNG role written for him (but played by someone else).

Trek Celebs Wish Robin Williams A Farewell “Nanu, Nanu”

Joining the chorus of millions, many Trek stars expressed their grief over the passing of comedy legend Robin Williams. This included Wil Wheaton, who worked with Williams in the 1997 movie Flubber:

Robin Williams could not have been kinder or more generous when I worked with him in Flubber. My heart goes out to his family.

Pegg is also notable as he is the star of the 2015 sci-fi comedy film Absolutely Anything, which features Robin Williams voicing an alien (along with a number of former Monty Python members). It appears this will be the last feature film with Williams.

Williams Connection To Star Trek

Robin Williams was also reportedly a big fan of Star Trek and he has a couple of interesting connections to the franchise. Having cut his teeth in science fiction with Mork and Mindy, one day in 1978 Williams took a break during the shooting the show on the Paramount lot to visit the set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He rode his bicycle to the soundstage, met the cast, and visited the bridge of the Enterprise. According to Walter Koenig (from his book "Chekov’s Enterprise") "his wide-eyed admiration not withstanding, his squeaky-voiced reaction to all the buttons and panels is, "Hmmmm, microwave!""

Williams famous ‘nanu nanu’ handshake from "Mork and Mindy" was clearly influenced by "Star Trek"

Speaking of Mork and Mindy, in 1982 Star Trek’s William Shatner (playing himself) literally ‘beamed in’ to the show, with a cameo appearance in the episode "Mork, Mindy, and Mearth Meet MILT," watch it below. If you listen closely, Williams’ Mork makes a reference to the rumors that Spock was going to die in Star Trek II (which was still to be released).

In 1991 Williams again connected to the franchise. During the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, executive producer Rick Berman wrote the role of Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen in "A Matter of Time" for Williams. However, Williams had to decline because of his role as Peter Pan in the film Hook. The TNG role ultimately went to Matt Frewer, who certainly gave a memorable performance, but obviously it would have been magnificent to see Williams instead. “Matter of Time” has a whimsical tone, but deals with some relatively heavy material – predestination, the nature of evil, death – but performing heavy material with a whimsical tone was what made Williams a super-star.

Robin Williams’ schedule filming "Hook" resulted in Matt Frewer playing the TNG role written with Robin in mind

Veteran Star Trek artist/designer Doug Drexler has produced another great Star Trek video. This time it is a tribute to the late Matt Jefferies, art director and production designer on the original Star Trek series (who also happened to be the designer of the iconic USS Enterprise). Watch the tribute video below.

Watch Doug Drexler’s tribute to Matt Jefferies

Doug Drexler pays tribute to his Star Trek predecessor, Walter "Matt" Jefferies, Jr. with this 10 minute long video that explores how Jefferies went from aviation illustrator to Hollywood designer.

The video was originally made for a panel at Comic Con 2014, but in the end it wasn’t shown. Drexler tells TrekMovie he is considering expanding it, but he has no specific plans as of yet.

Drexler also notes that August 12th Matt’s Birthday, so this week is perfect timing to pay tribute to him.

The Enterprise(s) and the Starship Poster

At the beginning of the video there is a clip of astrophysicist (and host of Cosmos) Neil deGrasse Tyson talking passionately about the USS Enterprise (designed by Jefferies). The video is from Mark Altman’s Starship Smackdown panel from SDCC 2012. The poster Tyson is referring to was one released by our friends at Geek Magazine at the same event (see below). You can sometimes find the poster on Ebay. There was also a 2-page spread version inside Geek Magazine Issue #2 (back-issue available online).

See Jefferies USS Enterprise and other Star Trek and Science-fiction ships compared to scale on Geek Magazine’s 2012 SDCC Poster

Get the book on Jefferies

Much of the info in Drexler’s tribute was based on the book "Beyond the Clouds," written by Matt’s brother Richard. You can pick it up at Amazon.

A couple of weeks ago TrekMovie previewed upcoming non-fiction Star Trek books, and now the list is getting longer with newly announced titles covering the history of the franchise, Trek fashion and even Trek ‘travel books.’ More details below.

Altman & Gross ‘Oral History’ of Star Trek Franchise

The first newly announced non-fiction book comes from friends of the site Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. Set for the 50th anniversary of the franchise in 2016, the pair are writing an epic hardcover ‘oral history’ of the franchise that will tell the inside stories as Star Trek moved from generation to generation.

Mark Altman told TrekMovie exclusively…

"For anyone whose read Tom Shales’ amazing oral history of Saturday Night Live, they’ll understand our approach to this book. Having been writing and producing for the last decade, it would have to be something pretty spectacular to get me to jump back in journalism but I think this book is really going to surprise people. If you thought you knew everything about Star Trek, think again. That’s certainly been the case for me in writing this book."

More info in the press release below.

Cover of planned ‘Oral History’ of the Trek franchise

press release

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS/ST. MARTIN’S PRESS LAUNCHES

"THE 50 YEAR MISSION: THE COMPLETE UNCENSORED, UNAUTHORIZED ORAL HISTORY OF STAR TREK" TO HELP CELEBRATE ICONIC FRANCHISE’S 50th ANNIVERSARY

There have been many books written about Star Trek, but never a volume with the unprecedented access and insight of The 50 Year Mission: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by authors Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. The hardcover edition will be published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press and edited by Brendan Deneen, editor of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead novels and the head of Macmillan’s film and TV division. The world rights deal was brokered by Laurie Fox of the Linda Chester Agency.

Unlike other books which have been written by fans for fans, The 50 Year Mission is an incisive, no-holds-barred look at five decades of Star Trek, told EXCLUSIVELY by the people who were there, in their own words, sharing stories they’ve never told before. The authors have covered the franchise for over three decades and have assembled the ultimate guide to a television classic celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, and which serves as the final word on the first five decades of this unique pop culture phenomena.

The 50 Year Mission unveils the oftentimes shocking true story of the history of Star Trek and chronicles the trials, tribulations – and tribbles – that have remained deeply buried secrets… until now. The 50 Year Mission will include the voices of over 250 television and film executives, programmers, creators and stars (including every Star Trek captain) who were all a part of Star Trek’s ongoing 50 year voyage; a mission that has spanned from the original classic series to the animated show, the many attempts at a Star Trek relaunch in the 1970s, the feature films, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and J.J. Abrams’ reimagined film series.

While there have been numerous books written about Star Trek, most have either been studio-licensed publications that glossed over the franchise’s real history, or books that have relied on the reporting of others. The 50 Year Mission goes inside the making of the franchise, in the words of the people who were actually there, who decades later are finally ready to tell the real story behind the making of an indelible television institution.

"We could not be more excited to be publishing this essential volume," says Deneen. "The 50 Year Mission is likely to be the final word on the first five decades of this incredible franchise with stories about the making of the series that will shock, surprise and thrill you."

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

MARK A. ALTMAN has been hailed as "the world’s foremost Trekspert" by The Los Angeles Times. In addition to having covered Star Trek for over a decade as a journalist for such magazines as Cinefantastique, Sci-Fi Universe and Geek, for which he is founding publisher and editorial consultant, Altman also wrote numerous issues of the Star Trek comic book for DC and Malibu Comics.

But Altman is probably best known to rabid Star Trek fans as the writer and producer of the beloved love letter to Star Trek and award-winning cult classic, Free Enterprise, starring William Shatner and Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), a film about two dysfunctional Star Trek fans who meet their idol, William Shatner, and find out he’s more screwed up than they are. The film won the WGA Award for Best New Writer at the AFI Film Festival and was released theatrically in 1999. A sequel is in the works.

Since leaving entertainment journalism, Altman has been a writer/producer on such hit TV series as ABC’s Castle and USA Network’s Necessary Roughness as well as the Executive Producer of HBO’s Femme Fatales, which Entertainment Weekly called "a badass-chick anthology series" and the Huffington Post hailed as "Pulpy Fun."

In addition, Altman produced the $30 million film adaptation of the bestselling videogame, DOA: Dead Or Alive, as well as well as House of the Dead, based on the videogame series from Sega.

Altman has spoken at numerous industry events and conventions, including the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, ShowBiz Expo as well as the Variety/Final Draft Screenwriters Panel at the Cannes Film Festival. He was a juror at the prestigious 2002 Sitges Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain and has been a frequent guest and panelist at Comic-Con held annually in San Diego, CA, and a two-time juror for the Comic-Con Film Festival.

EDWARD GROSS is currently the Executive Editor of Movie Magic and Life Story magazines, Contributing Editor to Geek and regular contributor to Sci Fi Now. In a career devoted to covering film, television and comics as an entertainment journalist, he has been on the editorial staff of such publications as Cinescape, Starlog, Film Fantasy, Femme Fatales, CFQ, Fangoria, Comics Scene, SFX, RetroVision, Not of This Earth and Vampires & Slayers. Additionally, he’s contributed to a number of magazines, among them Nightlife, Slaughterhouse, Total Movie, Premiere, Heroes, Monsterland, Sci-Fi Universe, TV Zone and official publications based on Smallville, Star Trek, Superman, James Bond and Alias.

And there are three newly announced officially licensed Star Trek non-fiction books coming from Insight Editions: "Star Trek: Dressing the Final Frontier," followed by "Star Trek Travel Guide: Vulcan" and "Star Trek: Travel Guide: The Klingon Empire."

Here is the official blurb for Star Trek: Dressing the Final Frontier

This deluxe book will showcase the unique costumes featured in the Star Trek franchise, from Mr. Spock’s staid Starfleet uniform to Uhura’s alluring mirror universe outfit. The book will feature a dazzling gallery of wardrobe designs, which explores the beautiful and innovative fashions that appeared in the various different versions of Star Trek, in both film and television, including the many different iterations of the iconic Starfleet uniforms, exquisitely designed alien garb, and much, much more. Every costume will be examined in intimate detail, tracing the design process from preproduction sketches to the stunning realization of the final outfit. Exclusive interviews with costume designers and experts will put the images into context. This unique visual treat will delight Star Trek fans and fashionistas alike.

"Star Trek: Dressing the Final Frontier" will run 208 pages, measure 9.25" x 12.75" and cost approximately $60

Mock cover for "Star Trek: Dressing the Final Frontier"

TrekMovie will have more information (and reviews) on all of these books as they approach their publications.

A lengthy rare interview with Gene Roddenberry that was believed to have been lost has now been found, and is hoped to become the basis for a new documentary on the birth of the Star Trek series he created. Catch a glimpse of the footage below, plus find out how you can help.

‘Gene Roddenberry Project’ Looking For Funding On Kickstarter

A new Kickstarter project is seeking crowdfunding for a documentary that will explore the birth of Star Trek with creator Gene Roddenberry. The doc will utilize lost footage from an on-camera interview done by producer James Forsher with Roddenberry back in April 1985. Forsher’s original interview was for a show on censorship in Hollywood. According to Forsher:

Roddenberry gave me an interview that explored the genesis of how Star Trek came about, his personal story of how he fought to create the show in the vision of the future he believed in. He passionately described the battles he fought with the networks, studios and an intolerant society that made the show a truly groundbreaking event in modern television history.

However (somewhat ironically) the Roddenberry interview was cut from the final show – and the interview was lost in a vault for almost 30 years. Now the film has been found and Forsher along with filmmaker Gabriel Taylor are seeking funding to use it as the basis of a new documentary.

Here is a video intro for the Kickstarter project.

They are seeking $15,000 to finish a half-hour length documentary. The money would go to paying for producing new interviews with those who knew Roddenberry along with paying for licensing stills and music. If they receive additional funding they will be able to expand the documentary using more footage, possibly up to feature-length (if they can get $75,000 or more). The deadline for the funding is August 10. Pledges can be as small as $1, but for $25 or more you will get a digital download of the doc. There are additional premiums for higher levels of funding. Go to Kickstarter.com to learn more and pledge.

Just in time for the film’s 35th Anniversary, a new book detailing the production of Star Trek: The MotionPicture is coming this fall, and TrekMovie has a first look at the details. Find out more and how you can pre-order below.

The Human Adventure begins again in upcoming TMP ‘Oral History’ Book

There was an enormous amount of anticipation leading up to the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in December 1979. Fans had been clamoring for a new movie or show since The Original Series went off the air ten years earlier. The film was a big-budget “event” picture that promised to take Star Trek to places that wouldn’t be possible on television.

What many moviegoers didn’t know at the time was that the production of the film was a troubled one. Filming began before the script was finished, there were internal battles between Gene Roddenberry and writer Harold Livingston that saw multiple rewrites arrive on the set daily, and the company that was hired to do the visual effects had to be replaced late in production, causing a frantic rush to have the film ready for its release date. All of those factors, as well as several others, resulted in a film that went wildly over budget and was viewed by some as being dull and boring.

And today TrekMovie has the first look at a newly announced book "Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture," from author Preston Neal Jones and publisher Creature Features. This "long-lost" 672-page book will provide an oral history of the film compiled from interviews with 60 of the film’s cast and creators, conducted as The Motion Picture was being prepared for release.

Cover for new book – based on original painting by Roger Stine intended for Cinefantastique (courtesy the Daren R. Dochterman Collection)

The interviews include William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the entire cast, along with director Robert Wise and writer/producer (and creator of Star Trek) Gene Roddenberry. In addition there are dozens of additional interviews with visual effect artists, illustrators, model builders and technicians. According to a press release for the book "no aspect of the film’s creation is overlooked" and it also promises the "unvarnished, uncensored truth" of how the first Star Trek feature was created.

The source material for "Return to Tomorrow" was originally intended for publication by Cinefantastique magazine in 1979, and author Preston Neal Jones was given unparalleled access to the cast and crew of the film. However owing to the late completion of the film and ambitious scope of the manuscript, it was never published—until now. According to the publisher, the entire manuscript has been "laboriously fact-checked" for release in book form.

Preston Neal Jones’ first excursion into cinematic oral history, “James Whale Remem- bered,” appeared in Forrest J Ackerman’s original Famous Monsters of Filmland. His first book, Heaven and Hell to Play With: The Filming of The Night of the Hunter, was hailed as one of the finest works of its kind and earned the Rondo Award for Book of the Year from the Classic Horror Film Board. Jones’ other writings have appeared in periodicals as disparate as Cinefantastique and American Art Review. Active in the film/TV industry, he has served variously as creative advertising executive, script analyst and production assistant; introduced film screenings at American Cinematheque and the Los Angeles Film School; and contributed entries to Groves’ New Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Jones’ liner notes

TrekMovie will have a full review of this intriguing release when it gets published.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2014/07/18/first-look-return-to-tomorrow-book-on-making-of-star-trek-tmp-coming-this-fall/feed/58George Takei: Now Is Time For LGBT Character In Star Trek + Tried To Convince Roddenberryhttps://trekmovie.com/2014/07/13/george-takei-says-its-high-time-for-lgbt-character-in-star-trek-tried-to-convince-roddenberry/
https://trekmovie.com/2014/07/13/george-takei-says-its-high-time-for-lgbt-character-in-star-trek-tried-to-convince-roddenberry/#commentsSun, 13 Jul 2014 10:45:57 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=37237

George Takei has revealed that he tried to convince Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to add a gay character to the TOS movies. More details below.

Takei Talks LGBT and Star Trek

Star Trek introduced the concept of “Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations” and was lauded for breaking barriers in terms of gender and race from it’s beginnings in the 1960s, but to date it still has not introduced a LGBT character. In a new interview with PrideSource, Star Trek’s original Sulu, George Takei, says he thinks the time is right, and he went on to say that he tried to convince Gene Roddenberry to do it decades ago. Here is the exchange…

PrideSource: Do you think we’ll ever see an out LGBT human on “Star Trek”?

Takei: I think now it’s high time. I did very quietly bring up the subject to Gene Roddenberry when we were starting our movie series – our feature film series – and he said with television he had to walk a very tight rope. You know, we were dealing with issues at that time – the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War – and that episode where Kirk kissed Uhura, a white man kissing a black woman, that was blacked out in all of the Southern states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Our ratings plummeted!

(Gene) said he knows that the LGBT issue is a civil rights issue, but he had to keep the show on the air as a television series, and if he pushed the envelope too far he wouldn’t be able to address any of the issues. He’d be canceled. Same thing with feature films now: bigger budget, higher risk. And he had said he’s predicating a 23rd century when the LGBT issue would not be an issue, but it is an issue of our times that we’re dealing with metaphorically in terms of science fiction and he wants to deal with it and still be able to make movies. He had said he hopes for the time that he will be able to do it.

Alas, Gene passed. It was in ’91 that he passed, and we’re 20 years-plus from that time. We’ve advanced with unimagined speed, and I think now it is high time “Star Trek” deal with the issue of LGBT equality. Now there are “Star Trek” actors who are out. Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the reboot, came out, and I am out. With the two of us out, it is now safe for “Star Trek” to deal with LGBT equality.

Takei at Seattle Pride Parade July 10, 2014 – actor says time is now for LGBT character in “Star Trek”

The issue of introducing an LGBT character into Trek been debated for a long time. In 1987 “Trouble With Tribbles” writer David Gerrold tried to break the barrier with an episode titled “Blood and Fire” for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation but it was rejected due to the controversial nature – leading to Gerrold leaving the show (he would eventually use a reworked version the script for the fan series Star Trek Phase II). The possibility came up again a decade later during the later seasons of Star Trek Voyager, but again it never made it to air. By the time the franchise went off the air in 2005, gay characters had become common on network TV, which may be why writer/producer Brannon Braga has since expressed regret over how Trek was not “forward thinking” on this issue.

As for the new movie era, director/producer JJ Abrams actually expressed surprise that Trek never had a gay character and said he was open to it, but it didn’t happen in either Star Trek or Into Darkness. For his part writer and expected director of the next Star Trek film has also said he would like to see it happen.

Trekking Around The Issue

While Star Trek has not had an explicitly gay character (in filmed canon), the franchise has skirted around LGBT and gender issues in a number of episodes. For example, TNG’s “The Outcast” had an androgynous race that shunned anyone who expressed one gender of the other. The below scene shows the allegorical nature of plot, dealing with acceptance of gender identity.

And the symbiotic Trill race has offered the opportunity to explore the issue. In the TNG episode “The Host,” Beverly Crusher falls in love with a male Trill, but after he dies and the symbiont is transplanted into a female host, Beverly ends the relationships because she felt her ability to love was was too “limited.” A similar situation happened in the reverse in the Deep Space Nine episode “Rejoined” when Jadzia Dax was re-united with an ex-lover who was now in a female host. The show portrays rekindling relationships with new hosts as taboo in Trill society, but Jadzia and the now female Lenara can’t fight it and kiss.

There are more examples, including the bi-sexual version of Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine’s mirror universe. And of course DS9’s Quark had some experience with gender re-assignment surgery in the light-hearted episode “Profit and Lace.” Enterprise also ventured into LGBT territory with a more serious approach, with the allegory storyline about the 22nd century Vulcan taboo on mind-melders and how some contract a fatal (AIDS-like) disease.

Seinfeld is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, and so TrekMovie takes a look at some of the connections between the groundbreaking sitcom and Star Trek.

Voyages About Nothing: “Seinfeld’s” Influence on Trek

Star Trek is “the ultimate male fantasy,” according to Jerry Seinfeld, because the bridge of the Enterprise had a comfy chair and a big screen TV. That is how he opened “The Apartment,” an early episode of the second season of Seinfeld (see video blow).

It would be hard to overstate the influence Seinfeld has had on popular culture. Of course, many have tried with this month’s 25th anniversary of the show – glowing effusively about how it changed television, shaped a generation, yadda yadda yadda.

During Seinfeld’s run from July 1989, through to May 1998, the show produced 180 episodes. In the same period Star Trek produced 399 episodes of Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. And during that period there was a lot of creative crossover between Seinfeld and the TNG-era shows.

The most high profile was when Seinfeld star Jason Alexander guest starred on Voyager episode "Think Tank." As this UPN promo notes, "he may look familiar, but there is nothing funny about him."

Alexander broke from the George Costanza mold of playing a short, stocky, slow-witted bald man chasing women out of his league to play a short, stocky, quick-witted alien chasing Seven of Nine.

Teri Hatcher as "real and spectacular" Sidra and as B.G. Robinson (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")

Kramer had his own crossovers, including the most famous member of the Trek family to guest on Seinfeld – DS9 star Armin Shimerman, appearing as the title character in “The Caddy.” Endlessly resourceful, Stan the Caddy has the answer to every problem (as seen in the clip below) – but, ironically, costs Kramer a lot of money with bad advice on lawsuit.

The episode "The Caddy" is also noteworthy as it features Trek veterans Brenda Strong (Rashella– TNG "When the Bough Breaks") and Phil Morris (who has appeared in TOS, Star Trek III, DS9 and VOY) playing the popular recurring Seinfeld character,attorney Jackie Chiles. All three Trek vets can be seen in the clip below.

And the above are just a sampling of the many people who visited both Seinfeld’s New York City and Star Trek’s future. However, the most important influence Seinfeld may have had on the Trek legacy is helping Wrath of Khan enter the popular culture. In the eighth season episode "The Foundation,” Jerry concludes Star Trek II was the best of the Trek films after a marathon viewing with Kramer (who likes “Search for Spock” better and claims to have a “katra”). The scenes below shows how this Khan viewing ended up getting George forced into the titular foundation, leading to the episode ending with the famous Shatner-esque explosion…

… which was then reprised a few episodes later in “The Susie” when Elaine does the same thing (see video below). By the way, Elaine’s coworker Peggy in that episode? Also a Romulan.

It’s easy to forget there was a time when the "Khaaan" scream (which even has its own website) wasn’t such a big part of mainstream culture. Did “The Foundation” and “The Susie” transform Shatner’s Star Trek II scream from a memorable movie moment into a “meme?”…Even before “meme” was even a thing.

On top of the regular in-universe stories (see previous report), there are also a few ‘non-fiction’ Star Trek releases (both licensed and not), either in the form of reference books, or more light-hearted takes on the Star Trek universe.

See the Enterprise. See the Enterprise go boldly. Go Go Go, Enterprise! Go Boldly! Join Kirk and Spock as they go boldly where no parody has gone before!

This Prime Directive primer steps through The Guardian of Forever to a simpler time of reading, writing, and red shirts. Fun with Kirk and Spock will help cadets of all ages master the art of reading as their favorite Starfleet officers, Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, and Gorn beam down into exciting adventures.

Ships of the Line (October 2014)by Margaret Clark, Doug Drexler, and Michael Okuda. Art by the many contributors to the Ships of the Line calendarsHardcover: $30.00 [pre-order on Amazon for $23.21]Publisher: Pocket Books

They dared to risk it all in a skiff of reeds or leather, on a ship of wood or steel, knowing the only thing between them and certain death was their ship. To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind’s desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans.

While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle—without weapons—that proved untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews.

In celebration of one of science fiction’s most beloved franchises, this updated edition of the acclaimed Ships of the Line hardcover collection now includes more than 75 additional images brought together for the first time in book format—spectacular renderings featured in the highly successful Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendar series. With text by Star Trek’s own Michael Okuda, the story of each of these valiant starships now comes to life.

A legendary sci-fi epic as you’ve never seen it before—including the Klingon Bird of Prey, the Bride of Chaotica, and the Enterprise herself, all literally bursting off the page.

Star Trek is one of the most enduring franchises in Hollywood entertainment history. Part of the public consciousness since 1966, it spans the worlds of television and the movies and counts millions of fans worldwide. Now Star Trek Pop-Ups delivers seven iconic Star Trek moments in a new way—popping off the page in three dimensions. From the original USS Enterprise in flight to the dreaded Borg cube from The Next Generation and beyond, here is an unforgettable series of alien encounters and thrilling action scenes, featuring memorable moments from Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. Bursting with energy and ingenuity, Star Trek Pop-Ups will capture the imaginations of fans young and old. 7 pop-ups and 25 illustrations, all in color.

The award-winning series on the making of the original Star Trek continues with a look at the third season. Blurb on series below

What makes these books unique?These are the Voyages, TOS contains hundreds of previously unpublished insights and recollections from actors, directors, producers, and production crew, capturing what went on from every perspective, including memos dictated by Roddenberry while reading drafts to the series scripts. The book offers a unique look behind-the-scenes in the form of original staff memos, contracts, schedules, budgets, network correspondence, and the censor reports from NBC. These are the Voyages creates the opportunity for readers to transport themselves back in space and time to witness the true history of Star Trek®: TOS. Go behind the closed doors of NBC, Desilu/Paramount, the producers’ offices, the writers’ room, the sound stages and shooting locations, and learn the actual facts behind all the blood, sweat, tears, politics, and spellbinding creativity that brought Star Trek® into being…and changed the Sci Fi world.

What makes these books extremely interesting? These are the Voyages, TOS, looks behind the scenes in the form of original staff memos — including Gene Roddenberry’s own memos, recorded while reading drafts of the series scripts — contracts, schedules, budgets, network correspondence, censor reports from NBC Standards and Practices, and other newly-uncovered documentation. Read about the making of each episode as the episodes are being made, straight from the typewriters of the people who were writing them.
The books bring forth new information such as the documented truth behind the writing of "The City on the Edge of Forever," Season One’s most acclaimed episode and winner of the Hugo and Writers Guild Awards. Rumors about who wrote what in this episode have been circulating for years. Now, what really happened and who deserves credit, is revealed at last. Notably, the actual Nielsen ratings, secret for 45 years, are made public for the very first time for every episode. (And guess what…they were a lot better than NBC ever admitted!)

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Warped, An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season (2015)by Mike McMahan, with art by Joel Watson and Jason Ho
(No pricing or pre-order yet)

On Twitter, Star Trek: The Next Generation lives on for one more season in the form of @TNG_S8—a satirical eighth season that never aired! Each tweet to its more than 85,000 followers (and retweeted four times that amount) is a hilarious recap and spot-on exaggeration of one of the most beloved TV series ever aired. Now, @TNG_S8 creator Mike McMahan presents an officially licensed mockumentary-style book-length “episode guide” to Season 8. With colorful illustrations by Joel Watson of the HijiNKS ENSUE webcomic, and Jason Ho, longtime artist at Bongo Comics (publisher of the comic book versions of The Simpsons and Futurama), each “episode” contains plot descriptions, trivia, aliens new and old, set photos, and behind-the-scenes looks at the troubled production. This book will appeal to casual and obsessive fans alike, keeping the world of the show intact while hilariously exaggerating it.

No cover available

REVIEWS COMING SOON

Stay tuned for TrekMovie reviews of these non-fiction books, starting off with "Fun with Kirk and Spock" and a look back at the previous two "These are the Voyages" books along, both reviews will be out this month. Reviews of the other books will be out around their release dates.

James Edward, otherwise known as 8of5, maintains The Trek Collective, a site dedicated to Star Trek merchandise, with release schedules, guides, and news of novels, comics, toys, games, collectables, apparel, and more.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2014/07/11/preview-of-non-fiction-star-trek-books-for-20142015-from-fun-to-artwork-to-scholarly-texts/feed/58These Are The Voyages Season 2 releasedhttps://trekmovie.com/2014/04/18/these-are-the-voyages-season-2-released/
https://trekmovie.com/2014/04/18/these-are-the-voyages-season-2-released/#commentsSat, 19 Apr 2014 03:56:57 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=36501The eagerly awaited second volume of author Marc Cushman’s exhaustive examination of the production of The Original Series, These Are The Voyages, was released this past Wednesday, and we have a closer look.

The first volume, which covered the history of the series from its earliest stages to the end of season one, was lauded by critics, fans, and cast members for it’s incredible attention to detail. Leonard Nimoy himself called the book’s level of research “astounding…an incredible job”.

The second volume, which covers the entirety of season two and features a forward by Walter Koenig, promises to be even more expansive than the first. According to the promotional materials the second book will cover a variety of interesting topics:

Amazon also appears to be selling the book for the same $29.95, but apparently sans the author autographs.

The third volume of the series, covering season 3, will be released in the Fall.

TrekMovie will have more coverage of this title in the weeks ahead.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2014/04/18/these-are-the-voyages-season-2-released/feed/109EXCLUSIVE Clips from Larry Nemecek’s TREKLAND On Speaker: “All Good Things…” Words & Deedshttps://trekmovie.com/2013/12/12/exclusive-clips-from-larry-nemeceks-trekland-on-speaker-all-good-things-words-deeds/
https://trekmovie.com/2013/12/12/exclusive-clips-from-larry-nemeceks-trekland-on-speaker-all-good-things-words-deeds/#commentsThu, 12 Dec 2013 21:16:40 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=36307TrekMovie was excited to receive exclusive clips from the new CD by Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek, TREKLAND: On Speaker Volume 2. In the new CD, available for $21.99 on the Trekland Blog, you’ll hear direct from some of Trek’s greatest including Ronald D. Moore, Michael Piller, and more. What’s special about this CD series is that you’re getting a unique perspective — you’re hearing from the people who made Trek while they were making it. The audio is from conversations way back when — in the 90’s. Hit the jump to hear some clips from the new CD.

How to follow up Volume 1? All good things…
After the great success of TREKLAND On Speaker Volume 1, Larry was left with a conundrum: what to follow up with for Volume 2? Of course, everyone loves the Next Generation finale episode, “All Good Things…”, and that’s exactly where Larry’s new volume takes us. Right into the heart of the creation of the episode straight from the minds of the people who made it.

Michael Piller, Executive Producer Star Trek: The Next Generation, co-creator of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager
Michael Piller is best known for co-writing the TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds” and executive produced the TNG finale episode “All Good Things…”. The clip below is of a phone conversation between Larry and Michael on the 10th anniversary of TNG in 1997.

A Great Holiday Gift: TREKLAND On Speaker Vol. 2
Your last day to order TREKLAND CDs to have them to you by December 24th is Tuesday December 17th. Get your copy for $21.99 (or save $4 when you buy both) from the Trekland Blog.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2013/12/12/exclusive-clips-from-larry-nemeceks-trekland-on-speaker-all-good-things-words-deeds/feed/16Book Review + Unboxing Video For Star Trek: Federation: First 150 Yearshttps://trekmovie.com/2012/12/08/book-review-unboxing-video-for-star-trek-federation-first-150-years/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/08/book-review-unboxing-video-for-star-trek-federation-first-150-years/#commentsSun, 09 Dec 2012 07:06:26 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=31252It’s the big-ticket Star Trek item of the season (well, for book-lovers, anyway). Join us for a look at “Federation: The First 150 Years.” Find out how this history from the future weighs in – and watch the unboxing video to see how all the components work – below.

It’s a topic that many Star Trek fans have probably wondered about: Just how did the Federation evolve into the entity we see in the filmed incarnations of our favorite show? Attempts have been made to explain the Federation’s genesis and development. Some of these efforts have been official, while others have been fan-driven. The previous high-water mark in attempting to chronicle the Federation’s origins is arguably the “Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology”, a product of Stan and Fred Goldstein (illustrated by Rick Sternbach); a work that influenced RPG manufacturer FASA’s Star Trek role playing games, as well as other authorized publications, such as “Mr. Scott’s Guide to the Enterprise”.

With the rise of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it quickly became clear that the previous chronological assumptions were being tossed out the window, and a new standard bearer, Michael and Denise Okuda’s “Star Trek Chronology”, were developed to be the definitive, canonical history of the Star Trek universe. For all their research, however, the Okudas, out of necessity, generally included only extrapolations of key points in Federation history based on on-screen dialogue. Much has occurred in the Star Trek universe since the final revision of the “Star Trek Chronology” in 1996. Dates have been tweaked, and an entire prequel series, Enterprise, has messed with assumptions made back during the halcyon days of TNG’s run.

Enter David A. Goodman, and “Federation: The First 150 Years”.

Opening the Box

“Federation: The First 150 Years” is supposed to be an experience. An impressive box is provided to present the entire package. Upon opening the box you are presented with a grey plastic stand with TNG style LCARS panels that do backlight, and a book sitting smack dab in the middle of the stand. This stand, while attractive, is really trivial to the book, adding little value save for the charm.

Inside the back cover of the book, you find a pouch with several additional documents, ostensibly developed for the ‘seventh-fifth anniversary’ of the book. With only a very few exceptions where necessary to project a real-life copyright, or to offer real life-acknowledgements, the book stays entirely ‘in character’ throughout. This is a book, written in the early 24th century, to document the history of the Federation’s first 150 years.

Unboxing video

The Main Event

The true focal point of the “Federation” experience is the book itself. Printed on thick, high quality paper, it reminds me significantly in its construction of a coffee table book that was around my house growing up that covered the first 75 years of the history of General Motors. The book is sturdy and well constructed, with an understated, yet noble, cover. A subtle sparkly sheen highlights the reflective UFP seal, and the weight of the book immediately lends a measure of credibility to the presentation that previous paperback chronologies have lacked.

Breaking open the cover and flipping through the book, the first eye-catching element is the artwork. Only one straight photograph is used in the entire book, one of Captain Archer on a Klingon ‘wanted’ poster. The remaining artwork, which is extensive, is presented in a wide array of styles. Illustrative crew Joe Corroney, Mark McHaley, Cat Staggs, and Jeff Carlisle present works that immediately draw the eye and mind into the historical experience. The art itself has the look of something that would be commissioned for a museum exhibit.

After the artwork, full page and facing page spreads next bring in the reader’s attention; spreads that exhibit significant documents from Federation and other sources, as well as translations into English. These documents cover a wide array of history, from planetary mining rights on Capella to High Council reports on humanity in the wake of the Broken Bow incident. While illustrative of various points fleshed out in the historical narrative developed by David A. Goodman for the book, it is the actual historical narrative itself that stands out for either adulation or scorn.

Setting down to read the text itself, one immediately feels that they are reading a middle school or high school level history text book. In particular, the experience reminded me of reading about the growth and development of the British Empire in my middle school world history book. Broad strokes are drawn, with pivotal events, figures, and concepts being covered in each section. Just like a contemporary history book, there are clearly defined eras of evolution and ethic demonstrated throughout the Federation’s first 150 years.

Sample spread from Star Trek: Federation: First 150 Years

While “Federation” owes a debt of gratitude to the “Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology”, it surpasses its older cousin in the realm of information conveyance. While the “Spaceflight Chronology” was a collection of snippets used to demonstrate the ongoing changes in the life of Earth and the Federation, Goodman’s work is a genuine telling of the Federation’s story which is helpfully illustrated with snippets. This immediately gives the current tome a significantly higher level of believability than the “Spaceflight Chronology”, and makes for a smoother reading experience.

The details of the new chronology, however, are ultimately going to be up to the individual reader to evaluate. Each reader will bring their own personal canon – based on their on-screen, tie-in, and fan-generated reference points – to the reading of “Federation”… some will enjoy it, others will be disappointed, and others will be outright enraged.

Goodman definitely takes different roads to achieve his chronological accounting. He does not employ a Greg Cox-ian revision of the Eugenics Wars, instead choosing to keep his setting clear and consistent with the TOS dates for the conflict, associating it with World War III as established in TNG, and developing what fans will consider either a creative solution or a ridiculous cop out when addressing the fact that our history has never heard of the Eugenics Wars or a genetically-enhanced ruler named Kahn Noonien Singh.

The most significant disappointment of the historical narrative, at least for this reviewer, is the fact that Goodman’s Federation and Starfleet feel ineffectively small. Major battles in the Romulan War, the face-off at Organia… both feature a miniscule number of ships compared to what you would expect. It is hard to get a sense of institutional establishment (for Starfleet) or genuine peril (for Earth and the Federation) when the battles as described bear more resemblance to a small skirmish than to a genuine fleet action. Admittedly, with a history in Trek Tech, particularly fan-generated technical works of the 1980’s and 90’s, my perspective may be skewed, so each reader’s mileage may vary; but these elements of the narrative simply weren’t believable to me when dealing with an interstellar war.

Fortunately, during the period outlined between the founding of the Federation and the development of the Constitution-class starship, a pretty wide variety of history is conveyed; but once Robert April begins work on the ships that would become Starfleet’s standard bearer, the story becomes, in essence, a gloss of The Original Series and the TOS movies. The overview is presented convincingly enough, but it brings to the fore few additional details to tantalize the fan who thought they ‘knew it all’.

Sample spread from Star Trek: Federation: First 150 Years

Pricing and Canonicity an Issue

“Federation: The First 150 Years” is certainly an interesting book. It is an attractive package. Though price pointed at $99.99, online retailers have dropped the price. As of this writing, it is down into the $50’s online through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The lower price-point makes more sense, because the value is in genuinely in the book itself. One might hope that the book itself may be released without the stand or the inserts, as they add no significant value to the book itself.

In a recent TrekMovie interview, “Federation” author Goodman acknowledges that this is prime universe ‘canon’ only in the sense that it can stand until someone decides to contradict it. In this respect, Goodman’s work is immediately diminished in importance, because all it takes is one authorized and canonical program to gut portions of the book. That’s a risky way to get this book out there… and, at least in this writer’s opinion, it diminishes the appeal of the book significantly. As opposed to the definitive history of the Prime Universe, we have a way that we got to where the original 60’s TV series took place… not the certain way.

Ultimate Conclusions

“Federation: The First 150 Years” is a beautiful product with great artwork, a consistent, in-universe feel, and a far more historical bent than any previous reference work set in the Star Trek (prime) universe. It can (and will!) be handsomely displayed in the households of many Star Trek fans this holiday season. It will not arrive without controversy among fans, nor without at least some folks being disappointed. However, its ability to stand the test of time will probably best be judged a decade or more from now, at some point after Star Trek has returned to the small screen, the prime universe, or both.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/08/book-review-unboxing-video-for-star-trek-federation-first-150-years/feed/33Celebrate Star Trek TMP’s (& STVI) Anniversary & Watch Rare Behind Scenes Filmshttps://trekmovie.com/2012/12/07/celebrate-star-trek-tmps-anniversary-watch-rare-behind-scenes-film/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/07/celebrate-star-trek-tmps-anniversary-watch-rare-behind-scenes-film/#commentsSat, 08 Dec 2012 01:52:50 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=31237Today, December 7th, is the 33rd anniversary of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first feature in what will soon be a twelve film franchise. To celebrate TrekMovie is featuring a rare behind the scenes feature that shows how the film was made. We also have video of William Shatner reflecting on TMP and if you want to relive the movie but don’t have the time, you can watch the 10 minute version.We also remember Star Trek VI, which had an anniversary yesterday, with another BTS video.

Remember Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Here is a rare featurette reel for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (thanks to YouTuber Jay West). It shows a lot of interesting behind the scenes action creating the epic film.

And while we are remembering here is William Shatner reflecting on TMP, from when it was shown on TNT in the nineties (thanks to videoholic90sA).

If you don’t have time to sit through the entire 132 minutes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, YouTuber weownyoursoul has distilled the film down to 10 minutes.

Star Trek VI Birthday (Belated)

Yesterday, December 6th, was the birthday of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the final film for the TOS crew. It was released 21 years ago. To remember that film, You can watch the electronic press kit (EPK) Paramount used to help promote the film (thanks to Doug Engalla). Click image below because it is not embeddable.

And since teaser trailers are the topic of the week, it is worth remember the teaser for Star Trek VI. It didn’t have any footage from the film but was a great look back at the franchise.

Happy anniversary to TMP and TUC!

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/07/celebrate-star-trek-tmps-anniversary-watch-rare-behind-scenes-film/feed/65Interview: Author David A. Goodman Talks Star Trek Federation History Book (and Futurama)https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/04/interview-author-david-a-goodman-talks-star-trek-history-book-and-futurama/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/04/interview-author-david-a-goodman-talks-star-trek-history-book-and-futurama/#commentsWed, 05 Dec 2012 00:31:06 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=31030Today Publish 47 North released their elaborate coffee table book "Star Trek: Federation: The First 150 Years". Our regular reviewer will be giving his opinion on this history book soon but today we start with an interview with the author, David A. Goodman, who explains how he went about creating history, including making some controversial decisions. Goodman also talks about writing Futurama’s historic Star Trek homage.

Interview with David A. Goodman – Author of Federation: The First 150 Years

This brand new Star Trek history book is a different kind of release for Star Trek. It is a reference book but it is also a work of fiction. Essentially "Federation: The First 150 Years" is a history book set in the Star Trek universe.

Federation history on its interactive pedestal

It is also more than just a fancy hardcover coffee table book, it is more of a collection set. The book comes on an interactive pedestal which includes additional audio from George Takei. There are also a number of inserts for the book of important historical documents from Federation history.

Federation history book with pedestal and additional documents spread out

To create this unique Star Trek tome CBS looked to David A. Goodman who is an accomplished screenwriter and huge Star Trek fan. He was a producer and writer on Star Trek: Enterprise as well as a writer and producer for a number of animated TV series including Family Guy and Futurama. TrekMovie spoke to Goodman about taking on the task of filling in Star Trek’s history.

TrekMovie: This book covers the first 150 years of the Federation but filmed Star Trek, it only covers a fraction of that. How did you approach filling in the rest.

David A. Goodman: Well it ended up being more like 250 years because I start with Zefram Cochrane and First Contact which is 100 or so before. It was certainly a challenge because I didn’t want it to read like I was just connecting dots. I wanted it to have a flow of historical narratives so when you get to those touchstone points we are familiar with it would feel like history leads up to it and continues on afterwards. I wasn’t just drawing lines between bits of continuity porn.

TrekMovie: How much did you look at non-filmed material as sources, such as books, reference guides, games, etc. I note you acknowledge "Spaceflight Chronology" for example…

David A. Goodman: The most important thing was Mike and Denise Okuda’s "Star Trek: Chronology" which they published a few years, which didn’t really cover Enterprise continuity but most of the rest. It adheres very closely to that. Any other books I reference were books that I particularly like, for instance the character Robert April uses references from Diane Carey’s novel ["Final Frontier"]. I was inspired by her fun characterization of April. There were a couple of nods the "Spaceflight Chronology," which was one of my favorite books when I was in high school. So there are some winks and nods, but my main goal was to write a book that adhered to strongly to produced canon, TV and movies, and anything else I referenced were just things that were flavorings that I just liked.

TrekMovie: You mentioned the canon word. Should this book be considered canon?

David A. Goodman: It is canon until somebody makes a movie or TV show that contradicts it. The overwhelming majority of Star Trek fans, even though we enjoy reading books and reading comics and writing fan fiction and the like, the fact is the overwhelming priority is the filmed entertainment.

TrekMovie: I know there were a lot of ideas kicked around for beyond the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise, especially about the Romulan War. As you were a writer and producer on the show, did you tap into some of these unproduced ideas for this book?

David A. Goodman: Absolutely. They did more on the Romulan War in season 4, after I left for Family Guy, but while I was there there were lots of discussions about the Romulan War and it was always something we dreamed to dramatize. In terms of the placement of the war I have it set before the final episode of Enterprise so it happens in between the second to last and the last episode. That was informed with discussions with [fellow Enterprise writer/producer] Mike Sussman while I was writing the book. Also I really pay pretty close consideration to the bits of information that were being laid in Enterprise leading up to the conflict, but the stuff I came up with in the end is all mine. The way the war laid out, etc. We never got into discussions on details of what the war would look like on Enterprise.

TrekMovie: What are some of your favorite bits that you have now added to Star Trek’s history.

David A. Goodman: I am a big fan of the pilot of Enterprise, but one problem I had was Trip has one line about how in fifty years we erased war, disease, etc. When I started watching Enterprise I was hoping we would see a rougher version of humanity figuring out how to solve those problems. So my book spends a good amount of time figuring out how we went from this war-torn world and created this positive future that is so much of Star Trek.

I also had to solve the problem of Khan. I lived through the 1990s and I know he wasn’t a dictator. I loved the way I solved it, with just a footnote at the beginning of the book, and I think fans will really enjoy it. Obviously the Romulan War was fun to work on. I am a history buff, especially World War II and World War I, and I think laid a war that makes sense, and I laid out a canonical connection between the Romulans and Cheron, which I am proud of.

Exclusive image of Khan from "Star Trek: Federation First 150 Years"

TrekMovie: Obviously this book is set in what is now being called the "prime timeline," but you mentioned the USS Kelvin from the 2009 Star Trek movie, which of course would exist in the prime timeline as well. But you also made what I think was a bold choice in saying that James T. Kirk was born on the Kelvin. Was this the subject of some debate with CBS?

David A. Goodman: Does it contradict canon? Kirk said "I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space." But there was long discussion. It wasn’t an argument but it was a long discussion. I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure which way to go. I loved JJ Abrams Star Trek movie and I feel as a strict fan, canon is filmed entertainment and everything in JJ Abrams movie up until the Romulans come through that wormhole is prime universe canon. And you could argue that the Kelvin made it back to Earth in time for Kirk’s mom to give birth, but why jump through that hoop. I feel there is no problem. It seems more poetic to me that James T. Kirk was born in space, and raised in Iowa.

TrekMovie: One of the interesting bits about this release was the extra materials included – the various important historical documents and illustrations. How did you decide which things needed to get that special treatment?

David A. Goodman: Some things were clear like the Prime Directive and something from the Federation Charter. Then it was about variety and things I found interesting as a writer. For example the teachings of Surak. How does a guy come to the thought that logic is more important than emotion. I drew on a very limited education I had in philosophy and wrote a document of Surak’s own journey. There was an idea I had when I was on Enterprise that I never got to do about a human on deep cover as a Vulcan for many years, so there is a document about that character in there. And there were things some things I thought fans would like, like the one line from "Bread and Circuses" about Hodgekin’s Law of Parallel Planetary Development. How did that come to be? So I wanted that in there. Some things were fun like the destruction of the Tribble home planet. How Arne Darvin became a spy. All these things that tell us something of the history of the galaxy but are also touchstones
for fans of the show.

Zefram Cochrane’s envelope calculations – one of the historical document inserts in "Federation First 150 Years" set

TrekMovie: Do you expect there to be a sequel to this one that will take us through the 24th and into the 25th century?

David A. Goodman: It’s all about the money. If it makes money they will do it.

TrekMovie: Switching gears, since I have you I can’t help but ask you about the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," which you wrote. Can you talk about how that came about and what a Trekkie nerdgasm that must have been for you?

David A. Goodman: There is no other term for it. The writing staff of Futurama was filled with Star Trek fans and they got word that Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner were willing to do an episode and they were throwing around ideas and [executive producer/co-creator] David Cohen was going back and forth on whether he wanted to do a Star Trek homage or just use Shatner and Nimoy in a funny non-Star Trek way. Once he came to the decision to do the Star Trek homage it because quickly apparent to him that I was, among all the Trek fans on the staff, I was the biggest. So he assigned me the script and the idea of a fan on a planet making them go to a convention and the gas creature were my ideas. They really didn’t do gas creatures on Futurama, they were very science oriented and didn’t think they were realistic but they took a leap. In the first week writing I broke my ankle and in the second week I had jury duty and yet it was still the best writing experience I
ever had. The recording was a delight as we recorded William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy together, which is unusual for an animated show. I still have the sessions for that on CD.

TrekMovie: So that episode established that one day Star Trek will become a religion. Now that you are a bona fide future historian, how likely do you think that will come to be?

David A. Goodman: Elvis has become a religion, so I can’t believe Star Trek wont become one. Star Trek has already stood the test of time, much beyond where anyone expected. It was a joke in a Futurama episode, but I’m not so sure it was a joke.

From Futurama’s "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" – writing the episode was dream come true for Goodman

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/04/interview-author-david-a-goodman-talks-star-trek-history-book-and-futurama/feed/20USS Enterprise Aircraft Carrier Inactivated + Navy Announces New Enterprise To Launch Next Decadehttps://trekmovie.com/2012/12/01/uss-enterprise-aircraft-carrier-inactivated-navy-announces-new-uss-enterprise-to-launch-next-decade/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/01/uss-enterprise-aircraft-carrier-inactivated-navy-announces-new-uss-enterprise-to-launch-next-decade/#commentsSun, 02 Dec 2012 03:43:00 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=30979The US Navy’s aircraft carrier bearing the same name as Star Trek’s iconic starship has been officially inactivated. After over fifty years in service the nuclear carrier USS Enterprise was ‘inactivated’ at an event in Norfolk, VA. More details and video from the event. The US Navy has also announced that the next aircraft carrier will be named Enterprise.

USS Enterprise Inactivated

The US Navy Ship USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is the eighth ship (not counting the Space Shuttle) to bear the name "Enterprise." It was christened in 1960 and was the first nuclear powered carrier. It has engaged in multiple combat operations, starting with the Vietnam War in 1965.

The "Big E" is the first nuclear powered carrier to be taken out of service by the US Navy. While the ship has been ‘inactivated’ it has yet to be fully ‘decommissioned,’ but that should take place no later than March 15th of 2013. The ship needs to have all the nuclear fuel removed before it can be decommissioned. The remains of the ship will be scrapped by 2015.

Before the event Star Trek’s William Shatner announced he would be in attendance to see off the ship. However, on Saturday Bill was a no show. The original Kirk took to Twitter to say goodbye and explain his absence.

My thoughts and well wishes go out as the USS Enterprise is decommissioned today. I had hoped to attend but a schedule snafu prevented it…

Gene Roddenberry chose the name Enterprise due to the tradition of the name and specifically because of the heroic service of this latest ship’s predecessor the CV-6 Enterprise, the Yorktown-class carrier which participated in World War II. Roddenberry had noted how he felt it was a heroic ship, especially at the Battle of Midway.

Notionally this same USS Enterprise appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Chekov and Uhura snuck aboard the ship to collect particles from the ship’s nuclear reactor. While they referred to the ship as the Enterprise, the real ship was not available for filming and so the scenes were done onboard the USS Ranger.

USS Ranger standing in for USS Enterprise in "Star Trek IV"

Enterprise To Live On

While one Enterprise ends its days, another ship will soon take on the historic name. The Navy has announced that CVN-80, a Gerald R. Ford class nuclear carrier due for service in 2025, will be the ninth ship to bear the name USS Enterprise.

May history never forget the name Enterprise

The next USS Enterprise

Thanks to all the readers who sent in tips on this event

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/12/01/uss-enterprise-aircraft-carrier-inactivated-navy-announces-new-uss-enterprise-to-launch-next-decade/feed/16Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 Photo Bookhttps://trekmovie.com/2012/11/27/review-star-trek-the-next-generation-365-photo-book/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/11/27/review-star-trek-the-next-generation-365-photo-book/#commentsWed, 28 Nov 2012 00:23:14 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=30940Following up from their 2010 Star Trek The Original Series 365 photo book (positively reviewed at TrekMovie), Abrams Books recently released a follow-up, this time revealing rare images from Star Trek: The Next Generation. TrekMovie continues our look at new exciting Star Trek non-fiction books with our review of Paula Block and Terry Erdmann’s new mini-coffee table book below.

Star Trek episode guides have been through various incarnations. Some were unauthorized collections put together by fans or unlicensed publishing houses, others were classic reference works (such as “The Star Trek Compendium” by Allan Asherman). To be sure, Star Trek: The Next Generation has received its fair share of authorized and unauthorized episode coverage, most notably Larry Nemecek’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion”, most recently updated in 2003. But “Star Trek: The Next Generation 365” is in a league, and a genre, of its own.

Authors Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann are no strangers to Star Trek. Block oversaw licensing for Paramount during the run of TNG (and beyond), and as a collaborative team, the two have published in many venues. Given their mutual love of the subject matter, and their deep, long term connection with Star Trek, the pair bring a loving retrospective of the Next Generation forward as one breaks open the pages of their latest ‘brick.’

Thank goodness these uniforms weren’t used!

After an engaging introduction by Ronald D. Moore, Block and Erdmann begin the TNG story with pre-production photography, insight, and behind the scenes information that, while not new, remains endearing. The same methodology permeates 365 from start to finish… sharing interviews with writers, producers, and actors that have been collected over a span of two and a half decades to give a wide-ranging exposure to what went into TNG in general, and specific episodes in particular.

﻿The pages are richly illustrated with behind the scenes photos ranging from makeup tests to rehearsals, and also with screen-grabs from episodes which are the only real detraction from the book. The quality of the grabs is lacking in many instances, with obvious pixelation to be noticed, especially in pictures that are rendered full page.

Production design graphics are provided throughout

However, while the photos are nice, and having little episode teasers (they can hardly be called summaries) is nice, the real value of 365 can be wrapped up in the following description: “Star Trek: The Next Generation 365” is like attending a Star Trek convention with every star, writer, director, producer, behind the scenes personage, and guest… all between two boards.

Having been to my fair share of conventions in earlier years, I have heard many of the stories presented here before, and yet reading them in this format, paired with behind the scenes pictures, was a priceless and uplifting revisitation of my own childhood. Just as I would spend each Saturday afternoon in eager anticipation of the 7 PM unveiling of the week’s syndicated TNG adventure, I spent each page of TNG 365 eagerly anticipating what would come with the next flip of the page. That anticipation was heightened because there were stories I hadn’t heard and photos I hadn’t seen, like Patrick Stewart in Picard’s costume… with a wig. Some of the stories will be completely new to many fans, and, perhaps, some of the stories will be old hat to a fraction of TNG’s fans, but having this memory brick at hand will be an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes, or an afternoon.

Assimilating the script…just one example of a humorous touch that helps TNG:365 feel like you are spending time with actors at a convention.

What Block and Erdmann have created is a Star Trek convention in a box, lovingly resurrecting memories for TNG fans who, like me, remember the giddy feeling we all got each weekend when we heard the first notes of music and the almost invariable words “Captain’s Log: Stardate…” coming forth from the screen. “Star Trek: The Next Generation 365” easily deserves a place in any Trek fan’s library.

If you are simply looking for an ‘episode guide’ to Star Trek: The Next Generation, don’t bother buying this book. It won’t satisfy you. If you are looking for a rich, immersive journey into the production and life of TNG, then “Star Trek: The Next Generation 365” is definitely a book that is for you.

Our special thanks to Abrams for providing a review copy of this book.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/11/27/review-star-trek-the-next-generation-365-photo-book/feed/24Scripts Revealed For Scrapped ‘Star Trek Final Frontier’ Animated Serieshttps://trekmovie.com/2012/11/16/scripts-revealed-for-scrapped-star-trek-final-frontier-animated-series/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/11/16/scripts-revealed-for-scrapped-star-trek-final-frontier-animated-series/#commentsSat, 17 Nov 2012 02:27:08 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=30810Six years ago TrekMovie broke the news that CBS was considering a new animated Star Trek series developed by some insider vets. This show "Star Trek: Final Frontier" never made it past the development stage, but in the past the creators have shared images and details on the web. And now they are revealing the scripts they wrote as well. Details below along with an exclusive image.

Star Trek: Final Frontier Scripts Revealed Online

The idea behind "Star Trek: Final Frontier" was to create a new animated series (possibly to run on StarTrek.com or maybe on TV) set in a darker future for the Federation, with a new USS Enterprise crew determined to return it to the the glory days. CBS never produced it but the team of Dave Rossi, Doug Mirabello and Jose Munoz had developed concept art, story boards and a number of scripts. We have shown some of the art here before in previous articles (here and here) but Mirabello has now contacted TrekMovie to make sure we let fans know they have started to post scripts to the web. Two of them are now available at www.startrekff.com.

Two new scripts available at Final Frontier site

More scripts and artwork will be revealed in the upcoming weeks. The site already has lots of background info and more details on the series, plus lots of artwork. Mirabello has also provided TrekMovie with this exclusive image of Captain Chase which hasn’t been revealed on their site. For more new images go to www.startrekff.com.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/11/16/scripts-revealed-for-scrapped-star-trek-final-frontier-animated-series/feed/47A Milestone Month: September Marked Four Notable Star Trek Anniversarieshttps://trekmovie.com/2012/10/08/a-milestone-month-september-marked-four-notable-star-trek-anniversaries/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/10/08/a-milestone-month-september-marked-four-notable-star-trek-anniversaries/#commentsMon, 08 Oct 2012 08:40:20 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=30675This past September marked four important anniversaries in Star Trek history: two most fans are well aware of, one that many may have forgotten, and a fourth the anniversary of an event many fans still regret happened. All are worth noting here.

25 Years of TNG
The first anniversary worth reviewing is the one that received the most media attention: the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some great articles from Wired, TIME and more were written in celebration of this silver anniversary, and on two separate occasions the full cast of the series took to convention stages to mark the occasion.

The Next Gen anniversary was also celebrated earlier in the year with the release of the amazing remastered Star Trek: TNG Season One blu-ray set. The set was the result of a herculean effort by the folks at CBS-Paramount Home Video to scan all the original elements that were used in the production of the series and the production team essentially had to “re-edit” the series in HD.

46 Years of Trek
The second anniversary of note was the 46th Anniversary of the original Star Trek series, which was celebrated by Google with an interactive doodle on their home page as well as a canny reference on the popular series Mad Men and even a shout out from Oreo.

Lots of shout outs to 46 years of TOS

Did you forget? 11 years since Enterprise
The third anniversary wasn’t noticed, but is still worth celebrating. On September 26th, 2001 Enterprise (later retitled Star Trek: Enterprise) made its debut on the UPN television network. Lasting four seasons, Star Trek: Enterprise made a significant contribution to Star Trek lore and still has many fans to this day. Happy (belated) 11th birthday!

Enterprise began it’s short and sweet 4-year run 11 years ago

A Sad Anniversary: Star Trek: The Experience Closure
The final September anniversary worth noting is an unfortunate one… it’s now been over four years since the closure of Star Trek: The Experience, the much-lauded interactive tourist attraction that was housed at the Las Vegas Hilton.

While there has been Star Trek tourist attractions since (the Star Trek Exhibition is currently in Orlando in a semi-permanent installation, and the Mad Science Star Trek Live education show may return in some form) nothing since has matched the sheer scope and glory of the Experience. Speaking as a fan of the attraction and friend of several people who worked there, we still miss it.

Joseph Dickerson is a writer, User Experience Architect (and Star Trek fan) focused on designing effective and innovative on-line and mobile applications. For more from Joseph visit josephdickerson.com or follow him on twitter: @josephdickerson.

]]>https://trekmovie.com/2012/10/08/a-milestone-month-september-marked-four-notable-star-trek-anniversaries/feed/743Oreo is Captain Kirk to Milk’s Spock on Star Trek Day + More Trek Anniversary Great Linkshttps://trekmovie.com/2012/09/08/oreo-is-captain-kirk-to-milks-spock-on-star-trek-day/
https://trekmovie.com/2012/09/08/oreo-is-captain-kirk-to-milks-spock-on-star-trek-day/#commentsSat, 08 Sep 2012 19:11:17 +0000https://trekmovie.com/?p=30469On this day in 1966, Star Trek debuted on television. Google may have celebrated a day early, but today Oreo Cookie celebrates the 46th “Star Trek Day” by tweeting their #dailytwist photo in honor of Trek with the caption, “We are the Captain Kirk to Milk’s Spock.”
Check that and more Star Trek Birthday links from across the web

Happy 46th Anniversary, Star Trek!

Today, Oreo payed homage to Trek as part of their Daily Twist campaign, and you can see all of their other tributary cookie creations on their twitter page (@Oreo).